(Cancelled)
by FueledByDonuts
Summary: {Story's gone to shit so, I've discontinued this \ (ツ) / }
1. Gone: Part One

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of the themes displayed here._

**Author's Note: This is going to probably the largest story I've ever written (because I've written so much heh *sarcasm*). So, this story will probably take me years to write and complete. You will see these characters develop, grow and on many occasions, die.**

**I want to say, that when I mention: 'die', I do mean it. This story will indeed have character deaths. Lots and lots of them. Hooray.**

**So, the characters you will witness here will not be the same towards the end of the story. The penguins will not be who they used to be. Their entire world will fall apart. Fairly quickly, actually.**

**So, when I say character deaths, I mean CHARACTER DEATHS. In other words, no one is safe. Not even the penguins or any other Madagascar character that will appear here. Hell, I can kill one of them in the very beginning, and still have a story to write. But, I won't do that because that wouldn't be fun. I'll have to put them through the very definition of hell, at least. When the story begins, there won't be many recognizable people at first, but don't fret. A lot of Madagascar characters will come into play much later on. Much. Later.**

**So, this story is in an alternate universe. Meaning that there are no humans living amongst the animals. Human isn't even a word in their dictionary. Humans always seemed to be holding the characters back from what they can do, so I decided to off them all of. Those pesky humans.**

**Without further ado, here's the story you've probably miss-clicked on. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Tall grass stretched for miles across the open plain. The large, puffy clouds loomed across the blue sky. The tall yellow grass swayed with the cool winds of the fall, producing an ocean of pure gold. A lemon-colored butterfly flapped its wings over the top of the large field, slowly passing by the yellow sea.

The butterfly lowered, making its decent towards the ground. Brushing past the blades of grass, the insect landed on a small pool of red liquid. It extended its black tongue and began slurping the crimson liquid. Its wings, the only thing audible, slowly opened and closed in five second intervals. There was a dead silence. The wind died; the grass stopped roaring.

That's when a gunshot broke the deafening peace. The butterfly slowly crept across the pool of blood. Its hairy legs stretched the thick liquid with every step. A low groan was heard, creeping closer to the insect. The wheezing intensified, causing the insect to flap its wings frantically to escape the loud noise. But, to no avail, the butterfly was trapped in the thick liquid. Its panicking only caused its right wing to come into contact with the pool of blood. The thick liquid slowly ran up the veins of the wings, making its way towards the innocent creature. The groaning grew louder, lurking towards the butterfly.

The tall grass came crashing down, revealing a hideous beast. Its face was dark and frayed. Flaps of flesh hung by a thread. Blood ran down its cheeks and forehead. It was missing its left eye. The blank, soulless eye peered off into the distance. Its lips had eroded away, leaving only the yellow, jagged teeth and purple, bloody gums.

Its arms came forward, helping drag the disfigured creature to its destination. The insect had given up trying to flee. Its wings were completely soaked in the warm blood. Its wings slowly opened and closed, as it drew its last breath.

The horrible creature dragged itself once more; its matted arms were covered in slashes. There were two major ones where its wrists were, revealing the pink bone underneath. Blood soaked its forearms, causing the soil and pieces of dead grass to be carried away with it.

The creature lifted up its head, hissing at the sky. It was quickly silenced by a sharpened spear. The weapon shattered through the skull and came out its jowl, spilling blood down on the insect that now had its head swell up in size.

The spear was quickly retrieved, making a squishing noise as the creature fell with a splat. The man looked down upon the dead creature in disgust. He hated the things. The reason of existence remained unsolved, but the sight of these beings made his blood boil. The smell was the worst part. The stench of rotten flesh burned his nostrils. He never was used to the smell. He always tried to take his mind off of the smell, as if it would help killing off these things. But he still had to look at them. The distorted faces of people who were once alive.

He looked up towards the tall hills in the distance. There was the deafening silence again. He didn't want to look behind himself. He'd have to face the massive failure he had achieved. They tell him that they captured him, that it would all be over. But, will it? They still have to face the dead. Even if they have him in custody, they still have to put up with this world. He knew that there were going to be more of them. That was what made him scared. It wasn't the dead; it was the living.

"God help us…" he whispered to himself.

He turned around, looking up high at the sky where the white smoke billowed. From a distance he witnessed his family moving about, carrying luggage onto a campervan. Between him and his family, hundreds of rotten mangled corpses. They'll have to start burning soon. And fast. Otherwise, more of them will come. He didn't even notice the butterfly's head below him split open, spilling yellow pus against the pool of blood.

"We'll be okay." He told himself. Even that lie couldn't keep him sane. He knows things will only get worse. The scary thing about it: he couldn't do anything to stop it.

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><p><em>The Dead<em>

_Season One_

**Gone**

Another morning made its way to the suburbs of New York. Animals left their homes, driving to work to beat traffic, or rushing to take their kids to school before the bell rang. At the heart of the city, the final pieces of the country's symbol of freedom and opportunity were being fitted into place.

People roamed the streets, heading down towards to catch the morning subway, or heading down to Central Park for a picnic, enjoying the fresh and welcoming air. The trees kept most of the noise pollution of the city. The cool breeze eased the muscles and the soft grass released stress.

In the suburbs, a female otter flips through the channels, trying to find something to watch that didn't try to eradicate her brain cells. The mornings always lacked in television broadcasting. They always played programs for toddlers or showed re-runs of old shows that no one even remotely remembers about.

"Is there anything good nowadays?" Marlene inquired, hanging her head over the head rest of the wooden chair. Her right arm dangled with the remote, she had to remind herself not to drop the thing.

"Not that I know of. All they show nowadays are shows of half-naked people running around causing drama. How that's television, still baffles me." Skipper answered, flipping a pancake.

The smell of the pastry entered the nose of the otter, causing her stomach to grumble with hunger, quietly yelling at the penguin to hurry the hell up. She always bought her breakfast from the local McDonald's, but Private insisted that she should come over and have breakfast with them. Though, the little officer wasn't present. Neither were the other penguins. "Hey, where is everybody? Weren't we supposed to have breakfast together?" Marlene inquired, searching the large living room.

"Rico's holding the fort at the moment and Kowalski is on patrol." Skipper answered. His answer sounded so robotic, Marlene had to cover her mouth not daring to question if he really was a robot.

"And Private?" the otter asked.

"He's with Rico filling out the large piles of paperwork back in his office at the HQ." Skipper answered, turning off the stove. "I told him that breakfast together is nearly impossible. We're on such a busy schedule; we can't even have breakfast by ourselves. We don't see each other until late at night. Even then, we're still working. We got this house to get us to start doing something that doesn't involve putting handcuffs on a drunk." Skipper sighed.

Marlene's eyes met the ground. "Do they like it?" she asked.

"Of course. The place has a basement and an attic. We know that the attic's full of spiders, so Private going up there is not an option. The basement will serve as Kowalski's lab. Much better than having it in the garage, all crammed. Rico's using the backyard for weapon training and other stuff Rico does. Just being able to say we own our own backyard makes me relieved."

"You know that's not what I was asking about." Marlene said sternly.

Skipper lowered his head and placed both flippers on the granite counter. He sighed, "This is necessary. We need this place. That apartment wasn't doing us any good, especially with the rent. A 'hellhole' Kowalski once called it. Wherever we go, our work follows us. There are eleven million people living in this city. Crime's always alert and waiting to strike. And with a city like this, you'll never catch a break. Maintaining your relationship with your team while also trying to maintain an entire city can have its toll. I'm sure they know the gravity of the situation."

Marlene couldn't help but to feel for her flightless friends. They're struggling, and she can see it. Her only choice left was to steer away from the topic. "So, your guys aren't coming, but you're the one who's here. Why's that?" Marlene inquired.

"I didn't want to disappoint you. I mean, you were bugging us for a tour of the new house." Skipper replied with a smile.

"Still waiting on that tour. But in all seriousness, why are you really here?" Marlene asked.

"The HQ figured I should have a day off."

"And you agreed to that?" Marlene scoffed.

"Only took on the morning. They'll have to put up with my face in the afternoon." Skipper smiled.

She turned her head towards the small TV and pressed the **CH+** button. "You have this huge house, yet you have the world's smallest television." Marlene commented.

"The boys don't even use the damn thing. They're not as addicted as you." Skipper replied.

"I'm not addicted." Marlene raised a brow.

"Says the girl who asked me what's good on TV." Skipper replied.

"Stalemate." The otter proclaimed.

After pressing the **CH+** button a few more times, she landed on The Weather Channel. The red header read: **Lowest Temperatures of the Century Expected**. At that moment, the winds outside picked up. Her spine shivered at the thought of the cold. She became so transfixed on the television screen that she jumped when Skipper placed her plate on the table.

"Heh, 'not a TV addict' are you?" Skipper joked.

"No, not that," She turned her attention to the TV, "are you seeing this?" she turned up the volume.

"Temperatures in Northern New York have reached an all-time record low at just fifteen degrees Fahrenheit." The weatherman announced.

"Negative fifteen?!" the otter exclaimed.

"That's what the man said. Mind changing it to Chuck Charles?" the flat-headed penguin asked.

"Didn't you hear him? Negative fifteen! We night as well go ice fishing over at Central Park!" the otter scoffed.

"Marlene, it gets like this every year. The media is just getting in your head." Skipper replied, getting up to grab his cup of Joe from the grunting coffee machine.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"But what if-"

The leader groaned, shaking his head. "I'm joking." Marlene smiled, shutting off the television right when the weather reporter cut to Albany.

At that moment, the doorknob rattled. The door unlocked and a young being waddled inside. Private placed the keys on the window sill, turning to see the two others in the house. "Oh dear, for a second there, I thought you two were robbers!" Private giggled, closing the door.

"What are you doing here so early? Is everything okay?" Skipper began worrying.

"The HQ is just a tad bit busier than usual. I'm just guessing that Friday is to blame. I'm here because I left a file here that I need for a good pile's worth of paperwork… and also thought my flipper could use a break." The young penguin smiled.

"How bad is it?" Skipper asked. He could already imagine the chaos happening over there. They needed him over. They can't do their job all by themselves. Why the hell did he agree to take the morning off? One lousy morning and everything's already gone to shit.

"Not from here, Skipper. From Albany." Private assured.

"Albany? What's Albany paging New York for?" Skipper asked, raising a brow and placing a flipper on his hip. His signature pose.

"They're saying that there are riots over at Albany. We can't get through and the news is not very helpful." Private answered.

"They're saying that there's riots over at Albany. We can't get through and the news is not very helpful." Private answered.

"I should be over there. It was stupid of me not to attend." Skipper said turning to turn off the coffee maker, but realized that it was still pouring the dark, bitter liquid. "Maybe until this thing finishes." Skipper said.

"I wonder what's going on over there. I hope it's not really riots." Marlene asked nervously. She was worried of course. The thought of what Skipper told her crept through her mind. The media. That helped her not to think of it as much. But she still had that feeling.

"I don't think it is. Maybe it's just a mix-up of some sort. The boys over in Albany always tend to confuse things. They once confused a little girl's birthday party for a meth kitchen." Skipper commented. "Go get what you need and then we'll go look for Kowalski and sort this thing out." The leader ordered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Aye, Skippah!" the young penguin saluted and ran off towards the bedrooms.

Private waddled down the corridor. As he walked, he turned to his left and looked at the unfinished painted wall. It's been a long time since they ever got started. So long that he couldn't even remember what color they were painting with. It was either starting to turn a dark blue, or finishing with white. Most of the house was white but that doesn't mean that the house was originally that color. Or was it? He couldn't put his flipper on it. "Did you find them yet?" Skipper's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Still looking." Private responded not moving his eyes off the wall. He liked the dark blue better; he would have to decide which color paint he should buy later. He took one last look at the strokes on the wall and waddled to the office space that they had.

He opened the door revealing what was inside. Piles and piles of papers were scattered on the tiled floor. Pens without caps on them lay on the cold desks. He sighed. Cleaning this place hadn't crossed their minds. It was never thought of as an actual room. Just a working area. There were four wooden desks in each corner on the room. Cardboard boxes full of folders and documents reached the rim, nearly toppling over and falling on the floor.

When they worked in here, they didn't really talk to each other. Just come in, get your files or finish your days' worth of paper work, suffer from the headaches they gave you, and get out. He had not really stopped and really gave this place some thought. Except from the splitting headaches he would get from this room. Just the sight of this place made his head throb.

He waddled over to his desk. The top was covered by packages of pens and papers. A blue striped box was placed on the top left corner of his desk. Sadly, he was a bit too short to look inside the box. He tiptoed, peering inside to see if the papers are in there. Shuffling through the files and crumpled up notes. They never really kept things organized.

So many thoughts were suddenly passing through his mind. The walls, this room, what's next? Him questioning what's in everything that he ate? Come to think of it, he couldn't really remember when was the last time he ate something. Let alone with his friends. He just tried to shut everything off and focused on the task at hand. Or flipper.

After about a few seconds of searching, he found the file he was looking for. He opened the file to make sure. The date, the location, the offense. This was it.

He placed the file under his pit when something caught his attention He took a closer look. Inside the striped box, laid an open file. Some of the pages had slid out, fusing with the other papers. Thankfully the sheets had slid in a pattern making it easy to identify which ones belonged with each other. Private placed the file down on the desk.

He finds a picture of a young girl. **MISSING** was typed underneath the photo. The girl was about twelve years of age. The text read: **Kallie Leeds**. She went missing at a late afternoon when her mother said she did not return home. The sad truth, Kallie was a runaway. She would sell herself to grown men. Just the thought of it caused his stomach to churn. Sick. The case turned from a simple girl going missing to a series of mass murders.

He shut the file, not wanting to remember the cold, haunting memories of the case. The atmosphere was choking and evil. Pure evil. "He would go for the little ones" they said. "The ones that would go without a care in the world." But with this specific girl, he messed with the wrong one. She was one out of twenty-three. Sadly, no one ever missed them. Skipper had to keep him out of this case because of how dark it was.

He sighed. Skipper's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Private! Rico's going to need the files on his desk!" his voice echoed.

"On it!" Private answered. He whisked the file from his desk and waddled towards the stack of old cardboard boxes.

Skipper opened the door for the otter, while grabbing the keys Private left on the window sill. The otter stepped out towards the open air. The air had gotten colder the last time she was out here, which was only about thirty minutes. She couldn't keep the thought of winter out of her mind. Private followed with the boxes.

Skipper witnessed the young penguin struggling, "Here, let me help you with that." The leader offered, grabbing one of the boxes.

Private felt a tremendous amount of weight being released from his flippers. His spine no longer ached, and his lungs were able to fully expand. He let out a long sigh of relief. "Oy, thank you, Skippah. I don't know how much longer I had if had continued," Private thanked, waddling down the concrete steps of the front door.

"Hope you enjoyed breakfast," Skipper called out.

The otter spun her head, "Oh, yeah. Thank you for that. I really needed an excuse to get out of the house." Marlene smiled, crossing her arms.

"Oh, I completely forgot about that!" Private exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Marlene." The young penguin apologized. Under his feathers, his face grew bright red from embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Private." She looked at Skipper, "I know how busy you guys are."

The leader kept packing the trunk of his vehicle. "Is that everything?" the leader asked, not taking his eyes away from the inside of the car.

"That's everything, Skippah." Private turned to the young otter. "Ya know… maybe we all can spend this weekend together? How about a movie? I've heard around the HQ that that new Lunacorns movie is amazing…" The young penguin murmured.

"You didn't just hear that from Jackson's kids?" Skipper asked, raising a brow.

Private lowered his head, "No…" he replied under his breath.

"I'll see what we can do," the otter replied. "I'd really like to get out of my house for once." she sighed.

Private's smile intensified. Skipper had already climbed inside the car, quickly shutting the door. His stern look turned solemn whilst inside. "We'll see you soon, Marlene. Take care!" the young penguin waved goodbye as he climbed inside the passenger's side. Skipper quickly turned the engine over. The car coughed, clearing its lungs before fully functioning. The leader stepped on the pedal and the two were off towards their destination.

Marlene's forced smile faded. She began walking down the sidewalk down to her house. The cool air was gnawing at her. The wind was a bit slower than before. She glanced at the lawns of the surrounding houses of the neighborhood. They were all coated with a variety of different colored leaves. Piles here and there. Shades of red and orange in between piles. Purples and greens if she was lucky.

The trees began stripping themselves of their leaves. More and more slowly drifted with the freezing wind, piling up on lawns, giving the neighbors more of a headache. The road suffered as well.

The golden drop of warmth was shining at its brightest. Its warm rays, warmed everything it touched, but it didn't do much. The winds were still chilling. The air was still biting at her. Yet, the leader said otherwise. It felt as if she had left one of her paws out in the freezing air for too long, the skin underneath her fur would most definitely go numb. Her fur did help, but not by much. If it weren't for her fur, she might have just gone through frostbite.

But, the colors of nature were trying to take her mind off of the cold. It almost worked. But the pyrexia of nature was taking over.

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><p><strong>This is where I have to end the first chapter. I know, there wasn't much action in this chapter. Hell, there wasn't any at all. This chapter is just me building a universe, having the characters experiencing real world dilemmas. I didn't like how I originally wrote it. The beginning is completely different, but the path and the end is somewhat the same. Don't worry, the action will be coming. Oh, it's coming. I can also confirm that there will be one hundred episodes. Which means, there will be FOUR HUNDRED CHAPTERS. And that's just for this particular story. I'll explain later.<strong>

**So, the characters might seem a bit off, but I'm trying to make things realistic. You know, adding realism when a cartoon penguin collides with a brick wall, unscathed. They've got to have at least broken their beak, snap a few ribs, and fractured their skull. Yeah, I'm planning some horrible deaths here. I already know how one of our Madagascar friend's is going to die. It involves a lot of blood. Can't wait to write that scene. I'm hoping to destroy you. I also hope you caught that clue I left for you in the beginning. That whole thing just basically told you the ending. Try to find it. MWAHAHAHA.**

**Of course, an author has to add some sort of exaggeration to his/her work. But seriously, I'm aiming to make you cry. I've got seventy-two characters that will help me play with your emotions. See you next chapter…**


	2. Gone: Part Two

**This gets a little messy. Just a little...**

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><p>The car zipped passed the brightly colored houses that stand. Each one had two floors. These houses weren't really cheap. These were good, stable homes to defend what is inside. A hurricane would get a few good blows but they would still stand strong. Not that a hurricane is something to worry about. But, there is still Sandy to think about. Parts of the neighborhood were still not repaired. Some parts of the houses had paint missing or had started peel from the wood.<p>

You could tell which power lines were replaced. Patches of new wiring here and there. How could you tell? The tint of the color. The new ones were a deep black. Shiny too. The old ones were dirty. They looked like a grayish color. It would have been easier and faster to just replace the whole length instead of taking a month and a half to try and wire the new cables to the old ones. Though the new one slightly thinner than the old ones so there's that also.

Even though the hurricane was a category two, it did a whole lot of damage. Once martial law was declared in the city, the penguins did not even dare to leave the city. They could still work to keep balance in New York, but once the military rolled in, they had most of their power taken.

They were closing in on the Brooklyn Bridge. Out of the suburbs and nearing the city. The trees changing their green hues to the bright reds and oranges. The street was full of stray leaves. Shriveled up and delicate. Scattering across the road with the direction of the wind.

Nearing the bridge, the city's skyline emerges from the treetops. Their leaves flying out from their branches. The sun shimmering from the glass panes. The New World Trade Center off in the distance, looking mighty and welcoming. They had to be. They do represent the definition of freedom to the country.

As they ride onto the bridge, they could now clearly hear the sounds of New York. Sirens here and there, the honks let out by passing vehicles. Private glances through the window. The sight of the river always made him happy. Though the river was full of weird stuff from fecal matter to industrial chemicals. Heck, you probably identify most of the element on the periodic table by taking just a small sample of the greenish water. The sight of the sun reflecting from the streaks of water was mesmerizing. He turns slightly to his left to see the buildings.

Skyscrapers. Tall, the amazing architecture. The different shade of colors that the glass panes gave off were aesthetic. With the sunlight reflecting off of the panes just made it even better. He could stare at the city skyline for hours, but, they were already approaching the end of the bridge.

Entering the city, your worst enemies are traffic signals. From five minutes on red, to green lasting no more than fifteen seconds. And in some parts of the city, it's the opposite. The team probably wasted most of their lives waiting in the streets than doing something productive.  
>Just sitting waiting in the car and listening to the sounds of conversations overlapping each other, the endless beeping from taxis, and helicopter blades roaring over the constant yells of "Taxi!".<p>

Skipper leaned over the wheel of the car and looked up to the sky. A helicopter just passed through the street they were at. It seemed to be headed north. Inland. "What's a helicopter doing in the heart of New York?" Skipper questioned aloud.

"There's a helicopter? Where?" Private asked.

The tail was swallowed by the Empire State Building. The sound of the blades was faint. Police sirens started to go off in the distance. It looked like nobody even cared. Everyone was just minding their own business. Skipper quickly turned on the radio.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." the anchorman's voice boomed out of the speakers. "It is seventy-nine degrees Fahrenheit here in New York, it is a lovely Monday evening we have here today. First up, coming in from Albany, New York, an update from the reported riots going on in the city, we have Drake Hamilton here with us, Drake can you hear me?" the anchorman waited a few seconds. "Drake? Are you still with us?" the anchorman asked again. Nothing. "Hmm. It appears we have lost Drake. Maybe got a little mix-up here in the station.

The light flashed green. Skipper didn't hesitate to step on the gas pedal. "Well, since Drake isn't picking up, we'll just cover for him. Scott?" the reporter said.

"Thank you, Chuck. Now, coming from Albany, the riots seem to intensify since the military has been involved. We've been getting reports from all over the east coast of the same thing. From Boston, to Miami." Scott continued. "We're getting reports here on CNN that New York has been placed under martial law for the upcoming weeks." Skipper looked at the radio, mouthing the word what.

"The same goes for Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Houston. We advise people to stay in their homes and lock their doors if necessary. We will keep you all updated with what the station gives us. This will on-" Scott was cut off by the other anchorman.

"I'm sorry Scott but we conformation from Albany that there was a huge explosion from city hall and they are now evacuating the city as we speak." the anchorman's voice seemed a little shaky. This got both of them worried.

"Did he just say an explosion?" Private asked a little frightened. In the background you could hear rustling and people talking.

"This may be an act of terror. Surprisingly, the entire state has declared a state of emergency." he continued.

The police sirens kept doubling. It seeming like they were swarmed with police cars. Skipper got out of traffic and parked near the MetLife building. The police radio suddenly exploded with officer's voices. "Needing back up here in Wall Street." "We need back up over here!" and the one that frightened both penguins, "Officers down! I repeat! Officers down!"

"What do they mean officers down?" Private asked anxiously.

Skipper's face was flushed. His men was out there, getting injured. Under his watch. He felt ashamed of himself. He felt like he wasn't fit to be a leader. But he is. And as a leader, he does what ever it takes to save is men. He took a shortcut to Wall Street. The traffic was not helping in any way. He wanted to throw every car out of the way to reach his fellow officers in need.

When the duo made a left on the intersection, all of a sudden, animals began to rush out of the area. Screaming of different species left the throats of many. People jumped over cars to safety.

"What the hell were they running from?" Skipper asked sharply. Private grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Do we have eyes on the sky?" Private commanded over the static.

"Not yet, but we're working on it. The city is in chaos right now, so we don't know if we can." A familiar male voice exited from the speaker.

"K'walski? Is that you?" Private asked confused.

"Private? Private! Where are you? Is Skipper with you? Are you anywhere out of Manhattan?" Kowalski asked in fear.

"What do you mean?" Private asked clutching the handheld transceiver.

Animals were running over each other now. Blood began to stain the sidewalks. A car raced by the penguin's car. It was like it was about to travel through time. An animals began to run through the streets. The car ran an animal in the abdomen. The dog's fur was tainted with it's own blood. The crimson splatter on the windshield.

"No!" Skipper yelled. Private's peak dropped.

The dog fell under the car's tire, crushing it's chest. The car swerved. Smashing into more innocent animals before crashing into a store. The glass pane shattered and covered the animals around it with large shards of glass. Jamming themselves into flesh and slashing windpipes.

The unsuspecting animals collapsed. Pain was embracing them. Giving them a long lasting hug. Some were holding their throats to help the blood from gushing out of their jugulars. They either died from blood loss or drowned in their own blood and plasma.

"We have one of our news helicopter over right now, Tom? Can you tell us what you see?" the Chuck asked.

"Well Chuck, what we can see is complete utter chaos across the streets. Thousands and thousands of animals are fleeing for safety. It seems that some are...chasing others? God, this is horrific. It's like something out of a science fiction movie!" Tom finished on the verge of crying.

"We are getting the same over at the station. Um, Tom, what city are you over? Are you at Albany? Where are you right now?" Chuck asked shuffling a few papers.

They tried to make another left without running over someone. The amount of screaming in the area was terrifying. These kinds of screams sounded like a cry. A cry for their lives that are about to end. Why were they running from? A wave crashing into the island? No that can't be. These people were running from Central Park. The only wave coming from that direction were animals.

A body of a chimpanzee fell right onto a parked car. The glass windows exploded from each side. The car's roof dented in. The sound of it was atrocious. That was the most horrifying and unnerving sound that they have ever heard in their lives. The sound of a soul ending onto a car. The sound the chimpanzee made Skipper's heart skip a beat. The car stopped. They both stared at the motionless ape.

The chimp started twitching hysterically. The chimp's eyes rolled to back of it's head. The veins in his eyes swelled. Skipper gasped at the horrifying sight. The veins suddenly began to burst. Blood streamed down the chimpanzee' face. Another crash broke through the shrieks and the screeches of tires. They turned to see another animal. A cat. It looked very young. It too twitched awkwardly. The chimpanzee got up. It breathed in the dark air. It made a sound that they both never heard before. That was not the chimpanzee, it was something else.

The chimp still had minor spasms. It turned and roared. It's teeth curving out from its mouth. It leaped onto a lemur. The lemur yelled. The ape opened its mouth wide and dug into the poor lemur's neck. The chimp slammed its jaws together and rapidly moved his head back. The lemur's flesh stretched as tendons and muscle began to snap and rip apart. Blood gushed from the lemur's neck, pouring onto the concrete. Its fur was soaked in blood as the lemur wailed in pain.

Skipper eyes widened and stomped on the pedal. The car jerked forward and hightailed it out of there. Private yelled as the images of the lemur were still in his mind. Skipper looked up and saw that more animals were leaping from skyscrapers. The animals would land on different animals and began its feast, tearing into necks and chests.

Some missed their target and just splattered all over the floor. Their bodies became just a pile of mush. Bones dislocating and fracturing. Blood and organs sliding onto the streets. Blanketing anyone near by with blood and tissue.

They were getting closer to Central Park. The screams of shear terror slowly turned into growls and croaks. Unexplainable sounds coming out of the mouths of animals.

"Well Chuck, I'm looking over New York City." Tom answered.

Skipper choked. His heart was racing. The car came to a halt. Animals were running at full speed. The shrikes and the sounds of bodies slamming and splattering on the hard pavement. His heart skipped as the first wave of the undead came racing towards him and Private.


	3. Gone: Part Three

The helicopter flew over Central Park. Thousands of little dots racing through the park and onto the streets. The wave was moving in just one direction. South. The park was infested with creatures. The screams turned into demonic roars. Tom turned to his left to see New Jersey crawling with what ever these things were. It looked like if both states were being exterminated. He scooted back. It felt as if these demonic beings could reach their arms and pull him out of the only thing keeping him safe.

Trees were smothered with blood. The sun was shining through the cracks and crevasses from the tree branches. A flood of them were destroying and eating anything in their reach. An infected animal leaped onto his prey. He opened his jaws wide and dug its teeth into the otter's abdomen. The otter yelled in pain as blood quickly exited the wound coating her fur and stained the grass. The undead animal tore out a chunk of the mammal's flesh, revealing her entrails. Another joined and grabbed her legs. The animal pulled. She screamed in agony as her waist was being slowly torn from the rest of her body. A final tug and her entrails fell from her abdomen. She gave her last breath as the two animals began digging their arms into her, reaching and ripping out vital organs. Her blood bathed the three animals.

Another dug its teeth into a penguin's back, snapping its spine, quickly killing it.

Skipper let go of the steering wheel noticing that he was making a dent in the plastic. The outline of his flippers were permanently marked on the steering wheel. He felt his heart pumping at a pace he never thought could be possible. He thought of it as fear. But this felt like a different kind of fear. Nothing he has ever gone through in his life. A new type of fear. He froze in place. Unable to move. He felt his spine stiffen. He couldn't move an inch. Each second felt like years. His mind blocked out the new sounds of his beloved city.

The threat was racing towards them at unbelievable speeds. An animal would leap onto its prey and would just tear right into him or her. Their blood would squirt on the shaking ground with the rhythm of the heart pumping. Their last breath would signal the predator to feast on a new.

Adrenaline was pumping through him as he saw strangers being eaten alive. He finally broke through his trance and grabbed his revolver. "Get out of the car now!" Skipper ordered Private. The young one uncovered his eyes and was greeted with horrifying images. The whimpered as get opened the car door and exited. Skipper slammed the door close. He checked his gun for bullets. There were six. The gun's hammer clicked. "Come on!" Skipper yelled at Private. Private did not hesitate. He pushed himself forward and began running as fast as his little legs could carrie him. Skipper followed as the wave of the undead was about a few yards away.

The roaring and screeching sounds echoed throughout the city. It was like the whole city came to life. The undead fell as they latched onto their prey. The screams and the agonizing yelps of the ones who's hearts were still beating were mixing with the roars and groans of the undead.

The helicopter was still filming the horrifying events taking place on the streets of Manhattan. "Tom, we are being told that the station is being evacuated, we hope to see you all soon after this dies down. God bless you al-" Chuck's voice was interrupted by the screams of terror. The signal cut off when a loud roar was heard and Chuck's mouth letting out gurgling sounds.

"Oh, God." Tom said as the undead began to leap and grabbed hold of the helicopter. Instead of following the screams and gunshots down below, they settled in for the helicopter passing over them. The plane whipped around, trying to shake off the creatures. Tom grabbed on a net as tight as he could.

"Mayday! Mayday! Chopper forty-five is going down! I repeat! Chopper for-agh!" The pilot's throat was slashed. Blood spurted on the windshield as the chopper as falling from the sky.

"Please, God! I don't want to die! I don't want to!" Tom cried out between sobs. The undead began to enter the chopper and attacked on anyone who was inside.

Skipper took a deep breath. "They're not animals. They're not animals!" Skipper told himself. He pointed his revolver and fired. The bullet went through the bird's back as it exited through his chest. It collapsed with a thud. He looked at Private who's face turned pale. The creature stood up and began chasing its food again. Skipper's peak dropped. He fired again. The bullet pierced through its lung. Nothing. "What the-?" Skipper said in a fearful tone.

An animal laid on the floor with its face shredded. Its throat eaten. It started to twitch. Its limbs bending in unnerving ways. Its eyes rolled back as it roared. It stood up. Still having spasms throughout its body. Its eyes slowly rolled back. From a dark green to a soulless gaze. It turned as he heard the sound of a gun firing. It locked on the the penguin, it wheezed as it opened its mouth to let out a cry. The creature took a step forward and stiffened. It roared again. It moved his left leg and began going at a faster pace. It started to run. The penguin fired another shot. It attracted many others turning from dead, to running dead.

The dog leaped forward. Skipper turned to see its fangs exposed. He lifted his gun and fired but it shot through its abdomen. They both fell. Skipper slammed into the ground. The dog roared at his face. It opened its jaws as a bullet went through his mouth. Severing the spinal cord. The lifeless creature fell to the side. His blood dripping from his mouth and out of the bullet hole. Skipper groaned as stood he stood up. He looked at Private who had is gun pointed at the motionless dog.

Private looked up at his leader. "Hey.." Skipper started.

The streets were full of animals trying to out run their fate. Cars were abandoned with their doors wide open. Shopping bags full of luxuries, were left alone on the sidewalks and streets. Animals and twitching creatures flooded the streets. From all the chaos, a new sound had appeared. It was getting louder, and was getting more choppy. All of a sudden more zombified beings fell from the sky, landing on animals and quickly began tearing into their new target. The ground began to get darker. A lemur tripped over a twitching corpse, and fell face first into the pavement. Pain conquered his face as it spread throughout his head. Drops of his blood dripped from his nose as he coughed out blood.

He looks up to see a helicopter coming down on him. He braces for the impact as a undead being took a bite at his arm. He shrieked in pain, only to be smothered by metal. His neck snapped as well as his spine in many ares. His ribs dug into his heart and lungs, piercing his stomach also. Many other animals alive or undead were crushed by the helicopter. The blades still spinning, sliced straight through people's heads and torsos.

Skipper turned to see the chopper in time. He grabs Private and pulls him down away from the spinning blades. The sounds of people grunting and collapsing burned into their minds as well as the images. A group of zombies that had locked on to both of them had their bodies severed in half. They fell as their intestines slipped out of their abdomen. The people who were alive but had been either decapitated of sliced in two laid on the street in their own pools of blood. Their brain still trying to figure out where is the other half of them selves.

Private looks up to see blood splattered all over the buildings and streets. Skipper pulled out his revolver and shot a zombie in the head. The blades slowed as the helicopter quickly caught on fire. "Follow me." Skipper told the quivering penguin. He stood up and saw the smoke and flames bursting out of the blades and the front of the chopper. "Get up now! We got to go!" Skipper commanded as he helped Private stand up.

The smoke had reached where they were. Every breath coated their lungs with the toxic gas. With the smoke, they ran from the scene coughing and gagging. The chopper exploded. Sending all of the equipment flying into the air or injecting shrapnel into near by animals. The blast set many animal's fur on fire. The affected animals screamed in agony as the flames bore deeper into their flesh, melting internal organs. Pieces that were on fire were sent flying through the air and caught surrounding building on fire

The explosion also sent corpses flying across the street. Smashing into windows and splattering into brick walls.

Private fell from the shockwave of the blast. The blast knocked him off his feet. He landed on the hard ground. Dazed and breathing heavily, Skipper pulled him up. From the same street the first sounds of heavy machinery boomed throughout the hazed area. The military began rolling through.


	4. Gone: Finale

The tanks, the heavy machinery, pretty much every thing the U.S. can pay to protect. A soldier pulled on the trigger releasing loud blasts of seven inch bullets piercing skulls and torsos. Skipper helped Private to get on the other with without lead ripping through their bodies. The sounds of large guns being fired boomed throughout the northeastern part of the city. Undead carcasses collapsing to the ground with about twenty bullet holes scattered all over their flesh. Fracturing bones and ripping apart tissue. Puncturing organs that stopped working just minutes ago.

A soldier ran towards both of them, raising his gun. "Was he bit?!" he barked over the countless bullet ricochet. He pointed what appeared to be a M16.

"No! He wasn't! What's going on?!" Skipper yelled. Private was coming back from his moment of nausea. He saw the shear amount of animals running towards them. The big guys were able to handle them. But not for long.

The young soldier dropped his weapon. "You need to get out of New York! Head west towards the Plains! There should be a base just about ninety miles from here! If you are able to exit the city, that is where you and your friend should go!" the soldier turned and fired his gun. Lead escaping the barrel and impacting through skulls. "And stay away from the cities!" the soldier yelled.

"Come on! We have to find the others!" Skipper informed the awed penguin.

He pulled out his revolver and pulled the trigger. Ending the bird's life. He ran up the steps with Private following not to far behind. A few officers were still inside as they entered. "Rico? Kowalski? Are you here?!" Skipper called out. Officers grabbed their guns and quickly ran out the doors.

A uniformed owl ran out from a pair of closed doors. His face enlightened when he saw the two penguins. "Oh, thank God, you guys are okay!" he said relived.

"Stet, do you know where Kowalski is? We can't find him and he's not picking up his radio." Private asked. Before answering, a familiar figure walked out of the same doors with a scar on his beak.

"Rico! I'm so glad you're okay!" Skipper sighed. The young penguin ran and gave the weapons expert a hug. A tear fell from his beak. Rico gave a confused look. He was glad his friends were still intact but this love-mush was making him a little sick.

"Have you seen Kowalski? He's not picking up." Skipper asked. The sound of roars and the blasts of guns still conquered the streets. Rico shook his head.

"He was probably on his shift when the news struck. Downtown maybe?" Private said scratching his head.

A car pulled up on the driveway. Skipper and Rico pulled out their guns and pointed at the entrance. A tall penguin and a lemur came throughout the door. Both had pistols in their hands and flippers.

"Mother of... I'm really glad you all made it." Kowalski said placing his gun back in his holster. The lemur did the same.

"Kowalski, why weren't you picking up? You had us worried sick." Skipper asked.

"It broke on the way here. We were swarmed with what ever science wants to call it. I had to use Ray's here. We've been trying here for anything but we haven't received anything. I tried to reach you but you wouldn't pick up." Kowalski said. A massive explosion was heard. The group turned and backed away from the entrance. A low mechanical sound followed. It sounded like it was getting closer. Skipper pulled out his revolver. The others did as well. Stet backed up. The sound grew louder as a second explosion shook the H.Q. The first parts of a tank peeped through the side of the glass doors. Soldiers were still shooting at the unknown.

"We need to get out of here. Out of the city, away from the coast." Skipper said, lowering his weapon.

"You don't say?" The lemur said. "What do you suggest?" The lemur said.

Skipper turned and faced him. The lemur had bright green eyes. He looked like he was a bit on the muscular side. He seemed to be no taller than Kowalski. "Ray, is it?" He nodded. "We find a vehicle, we go back to our neighborhood and we find Marlene." Skipper said, keeping an eye on the doors. Hoping that a dead carcass wouldn't burst through the glass doors.

"It would be faster if we went through downtown Manhattan. They seemed to have come from the north. No point of going around the entire city." Kowalski suggested.

"He's right, and if we are going back to the suburbs, I have to get my wife. She's probably worried sick about me. I know I am." Stet said.

"You want to go into a highly populated area? I don't think we should go. We're good the way we are. There's no need to endanger everyone." Ray said. "I say, we head east. Away from the populated areas, or at least far inland as possible." Ray said.

"You heard Stet, we can't just leave. We have loved ones out there. As long as we stay close, and don't do anything stupid, we won't be endangering anybody. You understand?" Skipper turned to the lemur. Ray sighed.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you. Where is this area?" Ray asked.

"Not far. We'll have to cross the bridge." Skipper said. "We need to take some amo just incase. Private?"

"Already on it." Private said.

The group stepped out the H.Q. The sounds of guns blasting and the roars of the unknown rocked the city now. The screams were scarce but still lingered. As they hurried down the steps, a few infected came across them. One roared and the three ran towards the group. Ray pulled out his pistol and fired. All head shots. Skipper turned to see the soldier he and Private had encountered. He had been bitten on the neck and lower body.

The roars of jet fighter's engines boomed. They looked up to see them in 'V' formation. "Let's move." Skipper commanded. The group climbed in the police car. Skipper turned the keys to start the car.

They passed by many dead and undead bodies during their drive. Many were mangled and or, completely torn apart. Entrails and ammunition were scattered everywhere. They passed by many buildings already destroyed and on fire. Kowalski felt his stomach churn. The sight of the dead was eating at him. They were nearing the Brooklyn bridge. Which they can tell by all the traffic and people running.

"Look!" Private pointed at the line of jet fighters.

"Tiger 1, you have a go." a voice came though the pilot's head piece.

"Roger that. Tiger 2, ready that missile." the pilot said.

The two jet fighters flew towards the city, nearing the Williamsburg bridge. The pilot of the first jet fighter pressed a button, activating the machine guns on both wings. He flew low. Way too low. He pressed a red button on the controller. The guns began to spin and released their bullets. The jet flew throughout the bridge, shooting at the people and cars driving there. An army of the undead were running towards the sounds of the guns and screams of animals.

The bullets pierced though chests and skulls. Puncturing lungs, hearts, livers, and brains. Each falling hard on the pavement. The bullets fired though cars and killing their drivers. Thus spinning the active cars into others or driving off the bridge and into the East River. The bullets would hit the special parts of some cars. Causing them to explode. Frying everyone inside.

The gang gasped at the sight of the army firing at civilians. It was a massacre. The bullets began piercing through the dead. Basically chopping them into big pieces. The pilot stopped firing and quickly exited the area. The second came through. The pilot flipped a switch. He pressed the button which deployed a missile. The missile launched from the wing and was closing in on the bridge. The missile made contact with the bridge and ignited. Setting anyone still alive, or undead, a blaze. The sound of concrete crumbling and the sharp snaps of wires echoed. The car started to shake.

The middle of the bridge collapsed. Causing the rest of the bridge to fall apart. Scattered with bullet holes and dead bodies, the bridge finally collapsed, leaving nothing but dust and debris flying. The group was still shocked at the event that took place.

Then, the sounds of more jets boomed. Skipper and the others looked ahead. Four jets were flying towards them. "Holy shit." Ray said.

Skipper stepped on the gas pedal. The car flied forward. The crowd of people started to panic and zipped through the bridge. Others ran as fast as they could. Their hearts pounding and adrenaline kicking in.

The first jet reached Manhattan Bridge and began firing. Murdering people and the streets. The second one followed and fired the missile. Exploding on the side of the bridge.

"Go, go, go! Faster! They're catching up!" Private yelled. The third jet released it's guns. The pilot fired.

"Hold on to something!" Skipper said and started swerving the car. The bullets ricocheted all over the car. A bullet collided with the windshield.

"Shit!" Ray yelled. The sounds of cars exploding and driving off the sides were heard. A second bullet smashed the windshield into pieces. Coating them in glass. Skipper covered his eyes but remained his focus on the road. The jet finally passed them but the fourth jet was approaching. They were still years away from the clear. The jet detached the missile and fired. Skipper braced for impact. The missile rocketed over their heads and impacted the pavement. Exploding on contact and crumbling the gravel. Wires snapped and the iconic bridge began to fall.

The ground shook violently as the drove. Skipper looked at the mirror and saw the explosion behind them. Animals were set ablaze. Skipper was horrified. So were the others. They made it in time before the last of the bridge collapsed. They finally made it out of the city. They all looked at each other. All breathing heavily. They leave behind their beloved city. The only thing that matters now is what lies ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>End of episode one.<strong>

**Outro song: Dead Reckoning by: Clint Mansell**

**The Dead**

In loving memory of...

This dog.  
>Crash guy.<br>Glass surprise people.  
>This chimp.<br>That cat.  
>Zombie jumpers.<br>This otter.  
>That penguin.<br>Chuck Charles.  
>Scott Elmore.<br>Tom Cathy.  
>That lemur.<br>Pilot #1.  
>Pilot #2.<br>Cameraman.  
>This other dog.<br>Private's first zombie kill.  
>Skipper's first zombie kill.<br>This zombie.  
>That other zombie.<br>Soldier.  
>Bride people.<br>New York City.

This will be at the end of every episode.

Next Episode: **Inferno**


	5. Inferno: Part One

**Previously on: The Dead**

**After finding the city of New York on the line, Skipper finds his friends in all the chaos. As the group leaves the city of New York in ruins, the team questions their future. Meanwhile, the undead take entire cities whole around the world.**

* * *

><p><strong> Prologue<strong>

The smoke devoured everything in its path. Whole buildings. Living beings. Everything. The army swept in for an evacuation mission, but they did not know that more than half the city was swallowed by the walking dead.

"We keep moving!" a camouflaged soldier ordered.

Bullets hit corpses in waves. So did the undead. They kept coming. About two-thirds of the city's population was trapped inside to city. "We are not loosing Dallas! We stay put!" the soldier yelled.

A German Shepherd ran from an apartment complex. The complex was three  
>stories high. The red-orange rays of the sunset reaped everything it touched. A line of palm trees stood tall to greet people. Now, they were wilting. Dying. Like everything else around them.<p>

A pistol in one paw and a small pup in the other. "C'mon! We need to keep moving sweetie." the dog told the little one. He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. Lead pierced the bear's forehead, collapsing.

He looks down at his daughter, her arm was chewed on. Blood dripped from the wound, revealing her bone. "You're fine. You're going to just fine.." a tear ran down the Shepard's face.

"Segen! Wait! Please wait up!" a female German Shepherd yelled at Segen. A group of the undead quickly swarmed the woman. She screamed as their teeth were about to inject themselves into her. A bullet entered one of the zombie's head. Two more shots were blasted from Segen's pistol. The woman was breathing heavily.

"Take my hand Janet. We need to see a doctor! We can fix our daughter! She'll be fine! Everything's going to be back to normal. You'll see!" Segen said, lifting Janet up to her hind legs.

The pup fell as bullets passed by, killing everything in their path. Segen quickly turned to see his daughter motionless on the parking space. "No! Jesse!" he yelled as he ran towards his daughter. He grabbed a hold of her and lifted her up. "Jesse? Jesse?! Can you hear me baby?" Segen's voice cracked. Nothing. The pup laid lifeless and cold in his arms. Streams of tears ran down his muzzle.

He collapsed on the floor. He sobbed hysterically. "No!" he managed to cry out between sobs. "Not my little girl.." he said.

Bullets flew in all directions. They tore into zombie's chests and skulls. The horde of zombies toppled the army. Sinking their teeth in what ever their mouths were closer at. The army collapsed. Jet fighters were still high in the sky. The city of Dallas was begging to fall.

Janet fell to the floor crying her eyes out. She was devastated. Her only child was taken from them at such an early age. Segen looked at his dead child. She began to have small spasms on her arm where she was bitten. He wailed as he pulled his pistol out. He raised it at her head, but, his arm felt heavy and fell. He couldn't do it. He couldn't shoot his out daughter.

"Please. I just want you to know, that we've always loved you. Please, just please, don't worry about us. Don't." He said and pulled the trigger. The bullet entered her skull and brain. Ending the twitching. Now she grew even colder. There was nothing left of her. Just the shell of what used to be his living child.

There was silence. Except for the bullets flying and the roars of many undead creatures. Dallas had fallen. He looked up. His expressions looked enraged. He carefully placed the pup on the floor and stood up.

"Janet. Let's move." he told her. The weeping dog tried to stand but her pain was too much for her. It made it impossible to move. But to just lay there and weep. Segen turned and grabbed her. He pulled her over his head. He carried her on his shoulder. He fired his pistol on the dead. He quickly ran away from the scene. His face still the same. He carried his wife as they left the city in ruins. The city belonged to the dead now.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season One**

**Inferno**

The car hit the ground hard. Rocking everyone inside. The sounds of the bridge collapsing plagued the air. Cars and bodies sank deep underwater. Jets flew to the northern part of the city and dropped bombs on the area.

"What the hell are they doing? There are people still living inside!" Ray said with anger. Kowalski sat in the front seat. He looked at the mirror to his right. The waves of jets circling the city were bombing the perimeter of the megalopolis. His eyes grew. He looked back at the city. In ruins. Puffs of smoke billowed from the heavily populated urban island.

"They're quarantining the city." Kowalski said. Ray turned. He glared at the scientist. His glare soon turned into a worried look. The lemur looked back at the devastated city. The others tuned their attention to the tall penguin. Skipper gripped the steering wheel harder. A low growl left his beak.

"No freaking way.." the white furred lemur said. Shivers went up Private's spine. Rico stared at Kowalski in disbelieve. Skipper turned to the brainiac.

"Are you sure? You're not getting worked up? I mean do you rea-"

"Skipper." Kowalski interrupted. The leader frowned. "The city must have fallen or something. I can't even begin what those things were back there. The way they moved. Twitched. It was abnormal. No animal is capable of just...snapping and start attacking. There has to be a logical explanation for this." Kowalski's face began to reflect a red hue. Skipper's eyes widened. He was taken aback.

"I would have to investigate in my lab back at base, there I would need to began a series of tests on certain subjects. If only I can get close to them..." Kowalski continued. Skipper slowly stepped on the brake. The car halted.

"Kowalski...?" Skipper called. The red-orange light began to dance on the animals faces.

"Then I - we, would be able to see if we can identify what this thing is and be able to see if-" Skipper turned Kowalski's head forwards to the street they were on. He finally snapped out of his own thoughts and saw the horror in front of them. The houses. All were burning to the ground. Set a blaze. The fires reached a maximum of fifteen feet high. The flames engulfed the surrounding neighborhoods.

"Jesus Christ." Ray said under his breath. All the houses were infected by the raging inferno. It was getting warm just sitting in the car.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" Stet said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed out of the car. Ray reached to pull him back in but the owl was too far from his reach.

"Stet! Wait!" Ray called.

"Get out of the car. We bring him back along with Marlene. We don't now if she's still here." Skipper said refilling his revolver. "Just remember, the blaze is not the only threat out there. Be careful out there." he cocked his gun. "Let's try to make this quick." Skipper said. He stepped out of the car. The gravel was even warmed enough to a moderate temperature. The smoke blocked the sun. The only thing that let them see was the inferno.

The scene looked like it was straight out of a apocalyptic horror film. But this was real life. That scared Private by a long way. He walked away from the car with his shaking flipper holding his pistol vertical and near his heated face. He already started sweating from the blazing heat. Most of them were.

The screams of people filled the hot air. Roars peeked from the heavily polluted horizon. Rico took one last look at the city. It seemed as if it were blasted by a huge explosion. The smoke from the city mixed with the smoke from the searing houses surrounding New York. Creating some sort of a dome.

"Alright. Kowalski, Rico, and Ray. You three find Stet and his wife and bring them back over here. This place will soon be filled with those freaks." Skipper ordered. The three gathered together and began walking towards the direction the owl flew. "Hey." Skipper said. The three turned. "Be careful. You understand?" Skipper asked.

"Always." Kowalski answered.

Skipper nodded. "That leaves me and you Private. We'll find Marlene somewhere here." Skipper said as he started waddling.

"I just hope she didn't go back to the city. That would be awful." Private said a little shaky.

Reds and yellows mixed together to create these tall violent flames. Leaves set aflame reflected on both their eyes, turning their icy blue eyes into deeper, warmer shades of blue.

"I'm sure she didn't. If you here that there's unknown monsters roaming the streets of New York that eat other animals alive, and has made the military collapse in a matter in mere minutes, would you got and see? Of course not. I would rather pack what I can and move the hell out of here. Would it be hard? Yes. I mean, we've had many good times here and in the city, but, I would try and leave the city." Skipper said.

"What if either me or the others were inside that city if something happened? Would leave?" Private asked.

"Let me answer your question with a another question. Are you really asking me this question?" Skipper said.

"Well, if wild cannibals took over the streets, I sure would." Private said. The heat was making it a little hard to breath. They weren't really made for this type of environment.

"If either one of you guys were in the city and I was out here, I wouldn't hesitate to drag all of you out of the city. I wouldn't just go, I can't see that happening. That's why we need to find Marlene. She's part of this too you know?" Skipper said.

"What about Julien? Or Maurice or Mort?" Private asked.

Skipper stopped walking. He forgot all about them. "We'll try, but they are half way across the globe. I'm sure what ever this thing is, it didn't reach there. The just quarantined they're major leak. This thing can't just reach and plague everything in its path." Skipper said.

"What about Albany? I mean, the riots? Could that just have been a mistake?" Private said.

Skipper sighed. "I'm going to sound like Kowalski right now, I mean, every disease or what this is, has to have a starting point, am I right?" Skipper said.

"Do you think? I mean, the distress signals from Albany about riots boomed over the radio, then just suddenly, New York falls? Not to mention Chuck saying the thing hit many others too? Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, the list has to go on." Private said. Skipper looked at the young penguin. The flames made his face glow.

"If this disease had a starting point, say, New York, and we were all inside during the quarantine, don't we have what ever it is?" Private said nervously.

"I said I was going to sound like Kowalski, that doesn't mean I am. I know you have a lot of questions and heck, I certainly do. But look at it this way, if were did have this thing inside us, do you see anyone of us twitching?" Skipper asked the penguin.

Private hadn't thought of it. Snarls came from a burning house. They looked at each other and waddled towards the noise. The sound of the wood crackling dominated. The snarl was almost undetectable because of it.

"Stet? Where are you?" Ray called out.

"He's probably at his house, he did say that his wife was still here." Kowalski said. Rico stopped walking. His face grew long. He tapped Kowalski on the back.

"What is it?" the tall penguin asked. Rico pointed at the direction. He turned to see their house in flames. Kowalski's beak dropped. The house. Everything. Up in flames. Files, bedrooms, their shelter. All gone. When this is all over, they have nothing to come back to. His lab, everything. He felt is throat tighten. Rico turned to him with a sad face.

"You two see something?" Ray asked. Kowalski turned.

"No." Kowalski said under his breath. He looked down at the floor. A tear escaped his eye and ran down the length of his beak. "C'mon, we need to keep moving." he said while whipping his beak. Ray nodded.

The three started again. Kowalski took a last look but quickly turned back. "Don't look back. It'll just be harder in the long run." he said to himself.

"Well with that, I think I just found our little friend here." Ray said pointing at an owl walking towards a flaming house.

Skipper looked down at the critter. Its body was burned to a crisp. It was unrecognizable. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Damn." he murmured.

"Is that-?" Private asked. "No, it can't be."

"Private, this is her house. We can't-"

"No, this is not her." Private said. "We keep looking. Like you said, you wouldn't leave with out any of us." Private said.

"Fine, we keep looking." Skipper said. He looked at the moving creature. It groaned and moved its flaming arms towards him, trying to get a hold at the penguin. He raised his revolver. He stared at the undead being. It was croaking. The brain still wasn't destroyed. He pulled the trigger, ending another victim. The gunshot echoed throughout the neighborhood.

"Skippah? Private called.

The flat-headed bird lowed his gun. "I need moment." Skipper said. The young penguin turned and walked around.

What was he doing? Killing off anyone he could find? This isn't him. This isn't what he wanted. They are dead for sure, but, just pulling the trigger at a carcass? That's not natural. It's not normal. Then again, the dead walking and eating the living is abnormal by itself. Well, better get used to it until this all gets settled. How long could it take? A week? A month? Hopefully not an entire year. Hopefully the government can keep track and protect its citizens from what ever this is. Then again, they did just blow up the bridges leading into downtown New York.

"Skippah...look" Private said.

The flat head turned. There he saw two cars smashed into each other. From here it looked like the driver in the first car was thrown from the windshield and landed on a yard. To make matters worse, there was a zombie feasting on the dead animal. Private looked at Skipper. The flat-head nodded. He held his revolver close and began to move forward.

"Did you hear that?" Kowalski said. He turned to the direction of the gunshot.

"It was probably either Skipper or the little young one. Isn't he a little to young for this job?" Ray asked.

"No. Private might be going on to his teenage years. He is only fourteen. But, he can handle himself. Anyways, why just one bullet?" Kowalski asked with concern. He scanned through the houses. Maybe he could see them somewhere out there.

"Maybe they just found that girl Skipper's looking for." Ray said. Kowalski glared at the lemur. The white lemur didn't notice him.

"Now, quick the chitchat and let's get this guy." Ray said. Kowalski turned to Rico. He too had the same stare at the lemur.

Ray took a few steps and stopped. He raised his gun. Kowalski saw and ran towards the lemur. "What do you think you're doing?!" Kowalski said angrily.

Ray didn't move. He was still locked on to his target. Kowalski turned to the direction. "Oh, no." the tall penguin said.

Stet sat in front of a burning house. There laid a twitching owl.


	6. Inferno: Part Two

**Don't worry, I'm not dead. Just some technical difficulties. *cough*Windows X P*cough***

**P.S. i just re-read the last chapter and SO MANY ERRORS! It should be fixed...someday.. *Shepherd***

* * *

><p>Both penguins walked towards the car wreck. Skipper held his revolver close. Private followed close behind. He stepped close to the dead animal on the yard. The zombie was on top of him, tearing his flesh and staining his fur with blood.<p>

"Oh, dear." Private said.

Skipper took a deep breath. He raised his pistol. The zombie looked up and growled. He dropped the chunk of meat from his hand. Its face turned a pale pink. A piece of muscle fell from its bloodied mouth.

It let out a loud growl at the penguin. Skipper pulled the trigger. The bullet penetrated through the animal's skull. The creature collapsed.

He walked over. He looked at the eaten animal. Private's stomach churned. They both turned and headed for the crash. They were stopped when they heard a wheezing sound from behind them. They both turned to the zombie at the ground.

"Did you aim for the head?" Skipper asked.

"I did.." Private said.

The eaten animal twitched. Both of them looked at each other in disbelieve. The animal wheezed. It began to twitch violently.

"Stay back." Skipper said. Both backed a few steps. The animal stood up. Its body let out a few spasms. The creature quickly turned to the two mesmerized penguins. It snarled and began to walk. Its eyes were bloodshot. Its vessels popped. It had trouble walking, as it tripped over itself.

"What the-." Skipper said. The zombified animal quickly got up and lunged itself toward its target. Skipper lifted his revolver and pulled the trigger. Finally ending the animals' life. Skipper walked away from the site. Private looked horrified.

"Did you see that?!" Private exclaimed.

"Of course I did." Skipper snapped. He looked up the red apocalyptic sky and took a deep breath. Private turned back and examined the body. The sight made him gag. He held his flipper to his beak and quickly turned. He closed his eyes and fled the scene. He rested on the wrecked car. He let go of his beak. He was breathing heavily.

They were both at a loss for words. Private's head was spinning. Why did that animal turn into one of those things in the city? Weren't they all quarantined? His mind was throbbing. "Is that why that soldier talked about us being bit?" Skipper said scratching his head. "I mean, that has to be it. Right?" he asked.

"You think? I mean, they were some wearing armor. I looked like it didn't really help." Private said.

Skipper nodded. "So, we stay as far away from these things. We don't let them anywhere near us. Not that it makes a difference. If you see one, you're going to have to pull the trigger." Skipper said. Private sighed deeply. "I know it's hard, but we have to. They are not living anymore. They used to be, but now they're flesh eating freaks. They're not normal. We're basically making sure they stay dead." Skipper said.

"How long do you think this is going to last?" Private asked his leader. Skipper shrugged his shoulders.

"It can't be too long. It may be a week or two." Skipper said.

The conversation was interrupted when two jets ripped through the polluted sky. They headed for New York. They were joined by others that were coming from another direction and started dropping their bombs on the city. The fireballs of pure destruction illuminated the sky. The red sky mixed with the yellows of the explosives, creating vibrant and deadly orange hues that plagued the sky.

"Maybe longer." Skipper finished. A groan exited from the car next to them. Skipper grabbed his revolver. He realized he had run out of bullets. He turned to the young one.

"Don't worry, I got it. I brought a bag almost full of ammo. Gotta make sure they stay dead right?" Private said while retrieving his pistol from his holster.

Skipper nodded and emptied his gun. The bullets fell to the pavement, making a low sound as they each hit the surface. All six bullets reflected the flames of the surrounding area. Twisting and bending the images on their smooth, rounded surface.

As he walked, he made sure there wasn't anyone around the street. He looked around. It still surprised him that the flames were burning this long. It had to be running out of fuel. The smoke was pilling into the air. None of it was reaching the ground where there was still fresh, warm air. It was still windy. The winds were probably the only thing that was keeping this inferno blazing.

The wind. It never did stop. The flames all moved the same way. All swaying to the south-east. That has to be what's feeding this blazing inferno.

He was seating profusely. He looked at his left flipper. The emptied revolver in his grasp. He hadn't thought of it, the heat, the sweating. All this sweat was too abnormal. He has been in blistering conditions before, but this was something more. Maybe it was a symptom?

Was this disease airborne? Probably not. Whatever this thing is, it happened quick. Besides you have to be bitten, or, so the soldier said. Or, hinted. That's all it takes. A simple bite and… what? You turn? Do you die? When does the twitching begin? And the thing with the eyes? Dang. That was more disturbing. So you get bit, and …you turn? Into what? These things?

"Hey Skipper, I was thinking and, do you think that this disease is passed by bite? Like, an actual bite? Is that usually how diseases are spread?" Private asked the leader.

Skipper turned while taking ammo from a pocket on his police belt. He looked at his friend. He didn't look so good. His eyes were droopy. He was sweating profusely as well.

"Well, from witnessing the events that just happened I'd guess that this is contracted by bite, and that you….turn into one of them. Or you die and you turn. I don't know, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the thought of dead cannibals." Skipper tried to answer. "But we should leave it to Kowalski. He should know." Skipper finished.

Private nodded. Skipper counted four bullets from his pouch and began to insert them into the cylinder's chambers. Private looked over to the other car. A body was sitting in the driver's seat. He backed away. "Skipper!" he sharply whispered.

The leader spun around. Private pointed at the car. He looked over. He saw what he was pointing at. A body from the looks of it. He couldn't see the details. Just the silhouette. It didn't seem to be moving. He looked back at Private. "Stay put." he ordered. Private nodded.

Skipper snapped the cylinder back in place and raised his gun. He began to approach the vehicle. The wind was still blowing. There was a deadly silence. There was no sound other that the cracking of flames. Finishing their feast of wood and metals. Leaving noting but ashes.

Skipper got closer to the car. His gun aiming at what he thinks is the forehead of the creature. Private couldn't help himself from finding out who the person was. The blasting light from the flames were being reflected on one side of the face, revealing the creature. Skipper lowered his gun. His beak slowly dropping. Private gasped. "What the-?" Skipper said.

* * *

><p>"We can't stay here any longer. We have to go look for Skipper and the other one." Ray said. Kowalski shook his head. Rico kept his gun raised in case the owl comes back and attacks.<p>

"We can't just shoot his wife. How would you like it if your wife was bitten and someone had to shoot her?" Kowalski asked.

"Someone wouldn't be doing it because I would be the one doing it. And if someone was going to do it, I would be thanking you in the process." Ray answered, tightening his grip on his gun. "In fact, I am the person who will be doing it." Ray said as he raised his gun. He locked on his target. Kowalski quickly reached and lowered the gun.

"No!" Kowalski said. Ray glared at the scientist. "When the time comes, we will." Kowalski ordered.

"Well when is the time Kowalski? Hmm? Sometime this minute? Hour? Day? We could end it now. We need to move now! While we still can! It's not safe here. For all we know, there could be a whole army of those things running over here. Or-or-or maybe the army is rolling here somewhere. We cant hitch a ride with them because we are stuck here with a coward." Ray barked.

"Well with al your yelling, there will be a whole lot of them but right now, we need to stay put. Besides, Skipper is still searching for Marlene here. We can't just leave Ray." Kowalski said.

The twitching owl stopped. Kowalski and Ray turned at the scene. Rico gave a confused look. Stet looked down at the dead owl in his wings. Her wing stopped moving. A tear ran down his eye. "Mitch?" Stet called for her. Her eyes began to close slowly. Her eyes slowly rolled to the back of her head. Her body began to feel cold. "Mitch…?" he called again.

Rico lowered his gun. His face frowned. His head lowered and faced the ground. Kowalski beak was slightly open. A person he once knew was gone. Just like that. Soon to become a flesh eating monster. He then thought of his team. Would it happen to them? to the people he loved? The world he once knew? This disease was something else.

Ray felt pity for the owl. He felt like a jerk. "Stet? Are you feeling ok?" Ray asked.

"Mitch? Please, Mitch! Please…" Stet plead.

"Kowalski? I thing we need to do it now." Ray said.

Kowalski turned to the lemur. He wasn't sure what to do. This never happened to him before, of course. "So, what? We just go up to him and just shoot her? Or, do we take her? I never really dealt with this." Kowalski said.

"I think we should calmly ask for her and just…put lead in her head. That sounds a little better that saying 'shoot her.'" Ray suggested.

"Mitch…" Stet said softly. Tears running down his face soaking his chest. The female owl's eyes opened wide. Its eyes rolled back but this time, bloodshot. Her soulless eyes fixed on her husband and quickly injected her beak at her husband. Stet screeched as Rico raised his gun.

"Stet!" Kowalski yelled as both animals ran to his aid. Rico quickly fired and the bullet imbedded itself into her brain. Her body collapsed with a thud. Blood leaking from the entry and exit wounds. A pool of blood formed around her head, reflecting the flames in a deep red tone.

A trail of smoke left the barrel of the gun. Blowing in the direction of the wind.

Ray ran towards the corpse. A headshot. "Stet…" Ray began.

Stet coughed and spat out blood. His wing was covering his injury.

"Stet…?" Rico muttered.

Blood dripped from his beak. The flames magnifying his bloodshot eyes. His DNA trickled down from his beak and stained his chest feathers. He slowly removed his wing from the wound. He winced. Every centimeter felt like ages. His bone felt weak and broken. He could feel his blood heavily coursing through his veins. It would hurt with every pump.

His wing revealed a gaping hole in his chest, revealing the Great Horned Owl's rib cage. Blood was pouring out from the wound. They could see his muscles stretch and contract with every move he made.

"Oh, shit." Ray gasped.

* * *

><p>Skipper stepped closer to the figure. Her face was bloodied. She had cuts all over her face. Glass shards spilled everywhere.<p>

"Marlene..?" Skipper called to the female otter.


	7. Inferno: Part Three

A new chapter, an updated bio, and new avatar?! YAY PRODUCTIVENESS! \o/

A red crimson slowly emptied from the open would. All sorts of debris climbed inside, making itself a new home.

A cloth applied pressure on the bite. Trying to keep the crimson from further escaping. A sharp pain filled his chest and slowly worked its way through his body. His blood felt heavy. He could feel something coursing through him. A pain he wished would end.

His eyes stung every time he would move them. His face flushed. Pale. Every movement, a handful of feathers would fall on the surface. He felt lightheaded and dizzy. He felt the need to vomit, but, his body was rejecting the thought. His body felt weak. As if were on the brink of collapse.

"Keep pressure on the wound. We've got to stop the bleeding." Kowalski ordered as Ray pressed the cloth on the owl's chest. He could feel is muscles were swollen, ready to burst.

"Alright, we need to get out of here and find Skipper. Rico! You're gonna have to cover for us if we wind up with a couple of undead geek." Ray said. Rico nodded.

"Alright, help me lift him." Ray told Kowalski. The scientist quickly grabbed Stet's left wing. "Okay, 1...2...3 lift!" Ray shouted. Both pulled. The young owl shrieked in agony. His bones felt like glass. A sudden move and they would snap in half.

"I'm sorry." Kowalski said.

The owl was finally off the ground, but was not able to walk or move his legs much because of the pain. His bones were up in flames like everything around him.

"Kowalski? What are those?" Ray asked the strategist.

"Right now isn't the time to ask questions Ray." Kowalski said.

"Look!" Ray said.

The crackling and the howling winds were interrupted by the sound of choppers buzzing in the plagued atmosphere. Each were came in different sizes.

"Some look like cargo planes, but what would cargo planes be doing here." Kowalski asked himself.

"Rico!" Ray shouted.

The weapons expert didn't hesitate. He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger. The bullet penetrated the eye of a zombie. Two still laid closely behind but were cut short by Rico's dead-eye.

"I think that the choppers are for getting people out of this area. Which means we need to find Skipper and Private. They must be running into some trouble." Kowalski said as both of them started running out of the street.

Stet kept yelping along the way. The cloth began to turn a deep red, signaling that his blood has nearly soaked the material. The blood was starting to ooze out and covered Ray's hand in blood.

"Ray…?" Kowalski said nervously.

The lemur looked down at his bloodied hand. "Stop. I need to change it." Ray said as he ripped another piece of cloth from his uniform. He threw the damp cloth away and replaced it with the new one. Already it began to show traces of dark crimson.

The owl let out a wince as the cloth added more fiery pain to his inflamed chest. His chest began to burn. He could feel every feather in its place. Moving as they dragged him along. It was a horrifying feeling. He felt his skin bubble and dissolve. Every cell evaporating into the hot air.

A numbing feeling began to take over the pain and burning sensation. this was not an ordinary numb feeling like when you sit down too long and your legs begin to buzz. The buzz never came. Just pure numbness. His legs went first. Then his wings. He felt like he was already dead as the numbness was attacking the fire in his chest. He felt his limbs slowly shutdown. His life was shutting down.

"Help me out here Private." Skipper asked the quivering officer.

Since the window had already shattered into thousands of shards, he reached with his flipper to unlock the car door. The door swung open, shooting pieces of glass towards the ground.

The mammal was wounded. Traces of blood ran from her head. She felt cold.

The young soldier waddled up the leader. He laid her on the pavement. At the same time, they both heard gunshots. Private looked at Skipper.

"I heard them, go around and see if you spot them." Skipper ordered, out of breath.

Private nodded. He rushed towards the epicenter of the blasts. His pistol in his grip. What could have happen? Did they encounter one of these things? No, there were multiple gunshots. And they kept coming. One after the other. He felt his heart following the rhythm of the shots.

They must have encountered them. Could the have been swarmed.? The thought of that made Private stop running. He came to a halt. What if there's more of them? If they did quarantined the entire city of New York, then they must of caught all of them. But what about those zombies back there. What about now? In the radio broadcast, they did mention there were 'riots' in those cities. He felt his legs wobble. As if he was about to collapse under his own weight.

His team. Swarmed let alone be 'bitten' by one of them. That's what happens right? What… happens actually? Do you… die? This made the young penguin terrified. His friends, gone. Never to return again. Just slowly becoming a part of the Earth. A few tears slowly ran down his face. He felt them as if they were evaporating once they made contact with the now blistering air

The gunshots crept closer. These things were creeping closer. To him. He wanted to run. Run as fast as his legs could, but they locked. Trapped in place. Trapped in time. In this inferno. He felt the flames were going to swallow him up. The flames were closing in. He felt his skin quivering. Every feather standing in place. His heart was beating faster by the minute. Every second felt like an eternity.

They kept getting closer to him. He didn't know what to do. The first thing that can into his mind was to raise his gun. After that sudden jolt of arm movement he felt lightheaded. His body was buckling.

Skipper placed his flipper on the otter's wrist. Checking for any sign of a pulse. Nothing.

"Damn it." he said to himself.

He placed his ear on the otter's chest. He ignored everything around him. Only focusing on her chest. Then, the faint beats of her heart came in. The penguin sighed in relief.

"I have a heart beat! It's faint but at least we know." Skipper informed the petrified Private.

The sounds of helicopters grew louder. Their lights were searching through the roads. Each seemed to be searching for something. Probably survivors or anyone trapped in the inferno. His face seemed to lighten. He stood up to quickly signal them. He watched as a helicopter began to fire at the streets. More followed. They were tracking the dead. A light flashed at their direction. His smile quickly faded. The chopper began firing. The leader quickly turned to see Private staring at the opposite direction.

"Private!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. His legs pushed him forward. He passed by cars in a flash. But time seemed to slow all around him. Large bullets began impacting the pavement. He sensed the bullets moving closer. His heart raced. Each foot hitting the street hard to lurch him forward.

Private finally snapped out of his trance after the sound of heavy machinery. He was soon met with a slam from his leader. Skipper pushed the soldier out of the way from the blasts.

A large bullet ripped through the leader's tail. Shredding it until it was unrecognizable. The leader yelled in pain. Blood and feathers fell to the pavement. Both penguins received scrapes and bruises from skidding the pavement as they landed hard on the ground.

Bullets flew and penetrated deep into the streets. More helicopters began firing at them. Bullets were smashing into the car they landed behind.

"Skippah!" Private managed to yell out from all the loud noises of bullets leaving the barrels to entering the streets and near by cars. Every car within range were slowly turned into skeletons

"Just stay down!" Skipper yelped to the young soldier. Yards behind, the others were witnessing the events unfold in front of them.

"Holy shit!" Ray yelled. A helicopter's light came in contact with them. "Shit, get down!" the lemur barked. Ray and Kowalski tried to run to take cover behind a mailbox made of bricks. Bullets flew. Turning pavement into rubble.

Rico quickly ran and jumped to hide behind a abandoned vehicle. Barely dodging the fiery bullets. But as for the other three, they were in the red zone for a second.

A bullet entered Ray's leg, nearly missing his ankle. But the bone fractured as the bullet went thought the other side. He put pressure on his leg and pain quickly shocked up through his leg. His bone separating even more. He yelled in agony as the fell over and smashed into the pavement.

As Ray fell, a bullet scraped passed through Kowalski's back at an angle. The length of his back was torn. If he was a few centimeters farther from his position, the bullet would have penetrated his organs. He yelled in pain as he tumbled to the ground. Blood streamed from the large gash on his back. It felt as if he was whipped. Stet fell hard to the ground as bullets ripped through his wings. Blood and feathers stained the streets. The bullets kept coming in waves. It never seemed to have an end.


	8. Inferno: Finale

Bullets left their barrels. Impacting the surface. Embedding themselves on what and where ever they land. From cars; to burning houses; to solid concrete. Turning concrete into rubble.

The air crafts left the scene. Their barrels still stocked in ammunition. Their 'mission' semi-complete. More in the background still firing at the surface. Possibly ending more lives.

Ray groaned in pain as he attempted to move his leg. "Shhhit fuck!" he yelled. He turned to his left to see Stet, heavily breathing. A pool of blood was forming underneath him. Feathers and bullet shells coated the pavement. Next to Stet was the scientist. A lash could be seen on his back. It cut through all three layers of the skin, plucking every feather that crossed its path. Blood was streaming down.

The lemur tried to reach the injured penguin when a spark of pain shot up through his leg. He yelped. He felt as if the bone was sawing at a nerve with every movement.

With the yelp, Kowalski's eyes shot open. A searing burning sensation conquered his back. The scientist yelled in agony. It felt like his skin was being stabbed by millions of needles. The hot, rapid wind wasn't helping. He tried to pick himself up but fell straight back down to the ground, giving him more scrapes.

"Well, you screaming over there means that you're still alive. Fuck! This hurts like a bitch! God, can you stand?" Ray whined.

"Ray? Is-are you okay? How bad are you hurt?" Kowalski forced the question out of his mouth. The pain was unbearable.

"How I'm doing? Oh, you want to know how I'm doing? Well, I'm feeling quite peachy to be honest with you. Besides the point that my leg is about to snap in half, and the bone is stabbing my nerve which is unbelievably, excruciatingly p-p-painful. I'm bleeding out back here! What the hell did you expect for me to fucking say?! Jesus." Ray barked. His leg began to turn a dark purple with a red crimson pouring out of both sides of his lower leg.

"Argh, I knew it was a bad question to ask. What abo- wait, do you hear that?" Kowalski asked again.

"Hear what? The sweet sound of my leg tearing apart? 'Cause I hear it to." Ray said sarcastically.

Kowalski tried not to turn on his back. A the sound was distant. It was barely noticeable. The helicopters were still firing in the distance. Distorted cries of agony and the unforgettable howls and croaks of the walking beings.

It was a shout of some sort. It was deep, yet loud. He couldn't make out the words. Or even if it was a language leaving the mouth of an animal. It was yelling of course. In fact, he could barely hear anything. He didn't notice the injured lemur yelling at him. He was saying something of course but he couldn't make out what he was yelling about. Reading his lips didn't help either.

He felt his back begin to turn cold. Numb. The pain was lifting from him. Being replace with this unknown numbness. It was terrifying to him. He was panicking but his body was still. He wanted to scream but his voice was trapped underneath. Never to be let out, he thought. The numbness was taking over. Did… did he get injured. Of course he was with the giant gash on his back with flesh pushing and forcing it's was out of the wound, but did he get scratched? Is that how this thing spreads? With his wound in mind he turned his confused gaze from Ray to his back.

His muscle was beginning to push through his wound in places. Exposed to the hot air only to turn numb. Shades of red and pink splattered his back.

He finally noticed the ringing in his ears. It was surprisingly loud, how could he have not noticed? He turned to see a helicopter plummet to the ground. It had beings in the inside and outside. They were like ants on food scraps. The chopper interacted with the pavement and exploded. Reds and oranges soaked every surface it scorched.

The illumination triggered a shadow that his peripheral vision caught. It was the weapons expert. He was rushing over to their aid. The shirt of his uniform was made into a patch. He quickly wrapped the shirt around Kowalski's back.

A strong stinging sensation crawled deep inside his wound. He winced, with that he could finally hear and think straight. There was a cascade of agonizing screams that were rattling his bones. Each more demonic than the last. He was lifted by Rico. At the same time, their leading officer rushed to aid the injured lemur. His back was bloodied. Blood ran down where his tail was. Wait. Was that his tail?

"Skipper, what happened to your tail?" the scientist asked the struggling leader.

"No time for questions soldier. We need to get out of here now!" Skipper barked.

In the distance, there was a young penguin struggling to keep a female otter to stay inside a van.

"Just let me help!" Marlene argued.

"I'm sorry, but that's what Skipper ordered. It's not safe out here." Private insisted.

"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be protected by a fourteen year old with a pistol heavier than what his flippers can carry. Yes, that keeps me from helping knowing that." the otter said.

"Hey, you're talking to an officer, Miss!" Private snapped.

"Miss? Did you just called me a Miss?!" Marlene snapped back.

In the distance, there were two figures in the horizon. It was Rico helping what looked like an injured Ray. Skipper and Kowalski carrying Stet followed. Blood was pouring out of Ray's leg and Kowalski was covered in blood. The young penguin gasped in horror.

"Oh my, God.." Marlene said to herself

Private quickly rushed to the group. Marlene surprisingly stayed in the vehicle.

"What happened?!" Private questioned in horror. His friends badly wounded.

"The helicopters remember, Private?" Skipper answered with an annoyed tone.

"I mean, what happened to Stet?!" Private cried. Tears running down his face.

Skipper turned to the strategist. His face flushed and tired. He sighed. "H-he-he was bitten." Kowalski said sadly.

Skipper's body felt heavy. His blood rushed backwards. His vision blurred every time he blinked. Private gasped in horror. A dear friend of his, slipping. Never to return. Reaped by death. Just… gone. Left to… turn? This disease was still confusing to him. Everything was all falling apart too quickly.

"Bitten? What do you mean bitten?" a feminine voice broke the silence. Marlene stood with a paw on her mouth. The thick, iron smell of blood coated her lungs.

"Haven't you've been caught with this? The virus or bacteria that's infecting hundreds of people in the New York state area? Surly you have heard what's happening right?" Kowalski asked the female otter.

"Wait, what? I was busy driving to the grocery market when all of a sudden, an idiot driver crashed into me. I wake up to the sound gunfire and find you guys bloodied, I had no idea that there was a disease for that matter." Marlene answered.

"Why are you asking her this if we don't even know what's happening?" Skipper questioned the strategist.

"Wait, so you guys don't know what's happening either?" Marlene gasped.

"Look, all that we know is that there's these…these… things th-that devour the living. It's like they're acting like zombies. Like we're in some part of a science-fiction movie." Skipper said.

"Only that they aren't zombies. Zombies are nothing but a myth, Skipper. It's impossible for a corpse to reanimate and to have a desire of eating flesh. That doesn't even make sense." Kowalski snapped.

"Kowalski, back in New York, I shot a person who was attacking another. I saw him tear into his chest and literally saw him digging into the victim. I had to shoot him. I aimed for the heart. Nothing. It just kept tearing into that man. I'm calling them as to what I'm witnessing and past experiences. A.K.A. movies and TV shows."

"Wait, you were hit by a car? Did you noticed anything about the driver?" Kowalski asked.

"Only the fact that he had spasms, why." Marlene gave a confused look.

"You got in a car accident with a zombie. Nice" Ray smirked.

Stet coughed out blood. The cloth was soaked with blood again. "If we don't find a pharmacy soon, he's going to bleed to death." Kowalski said as they managed to sit the barely living owl in the van.

"Then let's get the hell out of here. There's not telling when those choppers will return." Skipper ordered.

"Shouldn't we go to New York for that? Plus, I forgot to ask. What are you guys doing here anyways?" Marlene asked, getting inside the vehicle, strapping Stet's seat belt carefully.

Skipper climbed inside. The keys were still in the ignition. He turned it as the engine turned over. He turned to face her. "New York's fallen. It's gone." Skipper said coldly. Marlene's jaw dropped. "They've quarantined the entire city. But, we've found 'zombies' roaming about here. So they didn't get every last one of them." Skipper said.

"Also, before we were attacked in the city, there was a broad cast saying that there were these 'riots' in Albany. I think I heard Philadelphia and Baltimore." Private added.

"So…" Marlene started.

"So that probably means that the entire North East is infected. And possibly 'quarantined'." Skipper said.

Chills when up Marlene's back. "So? How's about that pharmacy?" Skipper slowly sighed as they headed North.

_End of episode two._

_Outro song: Cemeteries of London by: Coldplay_

**The Dead **

R.I.P.:

Countless of unnamed zombies

Chopper #5

Mitch

Next episode: **Hope**

A very special Thank You to SkullDestroyer, TheSkySpiritsTalentShow, mikadaphne28, and JustAnotherLoneWolf for helping me with most of the characters. Tons of people to come soon. Read on! :)

Review?

Hope you enjoyed! ;)


	9. Hope: Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own P.O.M.

I had an extra chapter so, why not just put it up. Updates will be monthly. Until I forget I was doing that. .-.

So, we're half way through the season. You've made it this far, congrats! You haven't been eaten by walkers! Yet…

How well do you think you'll do in the pending zombie apocalypse? Would you survive 'till the end? Or become infected? Who will you be? A Rick? A Skipper?… A Governor? A DARYL? (hope people will get these references) Just what ever you do, don't be a murder. Looking at you Carol. Leave a comment on how well you think you'll do! Comment? This isn't YouTube. Anyways, here's the mid-season finale. (I won't be taking a break after this, but I will during the transitions between seasons)

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><p>Previously on The Dead: The gang made it out of New York only to find themselves facing new challenges. Many were injured including Stet, who was fatally bitten.<p>

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The ground shook. Animals running in different directions. Smoke billowed from buildings swallowed by fire. Hole scattered streets and skyscrapers. It was only 5 minutes after Atlanta was hit by a wave of the undead. Half the population was already wiped out by the disease. A third were running corpses. Chasing their prey. People were getting into cars, driving out to the city limits. Most did not make it half way exiting the city. But some were lucky from their sudden brush of death.

A Red Husky was one of them. Seeing his loved one swept away from him. His house, now belonged to the dead, was a grave for his child. Someone rushed in and dragged him out. Calling for his pup as she was torn apart. They both made it to the street as his neighbors got in their cars and drove to wherever the radio told them to go. A sanctuary, only to later turn into a cemetery.

"Let go of me!" the Red Husky yelled, struggling to escape from his saviors clutches. Suddenly the animal's grip loosened and he was free. He fell on his chest. His air was knocked out of him. He turned, huffing and puffing, but his savior was nowhere to be seen.

All there was, was people running away. The person disappeared. In thin air. He has never be so confused in his life. Confused, frustrated, broken. Tears ran down his face as he watches his house being swallowed by undead corpses.

A low demonic growl was heard behind him. He turned as the undead being leaped. He quickly jumped out of the zombie's range. He landed on his hind legs. The undead being landed face first on the concrete. It's weak skull shattered under the force. The zombie stopped twitching.

Out of breath, and weak from his emotions, he did what everyone was doing. Run. He got on all fours and began to push himself forwards as fast as he physically and emotionally could. Tears left his eyes and ran down his fur.

They weren't far from the city. He wasn't thinking. Going into a highly populated area where there were even more of them? Idiotic of him. But his emotions were taking over. His tears were making it hard to see. Soon enough, the bloody images of animals being gutted and entrails coating the streets were blurred by his salty tears. He came at a quick stop to wipe them away.

He was risking running into a car or right into a horde of the walking dead. He cleared his vision only to be greeted by a wave of photons. He shielded his eyes. A helicopter's light was shining down on the streets. It's machine guns began firing. Blood began splattering the pavement. Blood soaked everything. Literally painting the buildings and street lights.

His eyes widened. Large pools of blood filled the streets. The city smelled of gunpowder and a weak sent of iron. The helicopter's light locked on him. He froze. He couldn't move. The helicopter flew past him. He stood there. In shock. He was paralyzed.

His legs suddenly jolted. His body turned. He didn't know why. But with the thought beginning to progress in his mind, he could see a giant wave of the dead running past a corner. Most begin to feast on the closely running animals. He now knows why his legs moved without his consent.

He ran towards a weapons store, fortunately. He slams the double doors close as the dead corpses began to twitch; blood pouring out of their mouths.

The shouts and gunfire pounded his eardrums. Out of breath, he backs ways from the door; horrors and gore behind them. The sounds of death and demonic shouts and gurgling were imprinted in his mind. He bumps into the counter. Now the sound of bombs were emerging. They seemed to be getting closer.

He lets out a big sigh as he lowers his head. Tears falling on the tiled, cold floor. His reflection was visible. He sniffs. He smelled fear. Fear?! Negan never feels fear. He only feels the emotions appropriate enough for the activities he's doing for the day. Sadness and depression was acceptable but, fear? Never.

"C'mon. Stop being such a pussy." Negan said to himself. But the thought of his daughter kept creeping into his mind. "If you're going to survive through this, be strong for her." Negan said, shutting his eyes close and shaking his head.

He turned to take a look at the weapons available. A machine gun. 'Hmm. Too loud.' He thought. He then turned his attention at a bow. His eyes widened. He slowly approached the fatal weapon. He picked it from its casing. It was sleek and smooth. He checked the flexibility of the wire. It was phenomenal. It's it felt like Christmas.

He picked the bag full of arrows. He counted each one. This bag was large. Forty-four he counted. He finished counting just in time before the doors began thrashing. He slowly turned to the doors. Frustrated and furious. "I couldn't even finish my goddamn moment?" Negan said to the doors as if it were to reply.

He grabbed an arrow from the bag. He brought it to the bow. He pulled the string. He was a little rusty at this. The doors flew open. Corpses flooded the room.

He let go of the arrow; piercing the skull of a zombie, killing it instantly. He grabbed another. He launched the arrow as it penetrated two skulls. He quickened his pace of grabbing and launching arrows at oncoming dead. He emptied the room in minutes. Exhausted and covered in dark blood, he let out a large sigh. He leaned on the counter. He looked at his bow. Then at the dead, undead carcasses spread on the floor. "Badass." he said.

The screams were fading. It was either moving away, or the entire city turned into a mass grave. The heavy machinery still continued, but it was faint. The growls and gurgles still conquered the streets.

He gets of the counter, leaving a bloody print of his torso. He looked at himself in the mirror that wrapped all around the room. He saw the bloody mess that was him. His pale blue eyes stared deep into him. He stepped away from the monster in the mirror.

A loud explosion was heard. He turned quickly. In the distance, there was a mushroom cloud billowing from the city limits. He stepped out from the building. Was it a nuke? He turned to his left to see a zombie devouring the entrails of a mammal.

"Argh, fuck." he said in disgust. He was surprised to not have projectile vomit at this point. Including the foul stench of blood and organs.

He returned to the shop. He looked around. He was not going to leave twenty-three arrows intact to skulls? These were worth more than gold. He quickly grabbed and collected his arrows and returned them into his bag. He sent the bag around his head for his shoulder to support the strap. He had an arrow in the string ready to launch it if the time came.

He stepped out again. He looked around the area. The feasting carcass was not there anymore. That wasn't good.

"Well it's not like I'm going to be looking for the fucker anyways." he said to himself as he ran down the street. Passing piles of dead animals.

**The Dead**

**Season One**

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><p>Hope<p>

The car spun and tramped over reanimated carcasses. The owl feeling every twist and turn, his bones seemed to shatter against the force of the car swerving. They finally made it out of the dark red, hellish skies and were driving under a pale, cloudy sky with ambers falling from the above.

The 'patch' on Kowalski's back began to soak with blood. He was feeling woozy. He felt the urge to hurl. His breakfast would come up, but he would force it down. It was getting harder to keeping it down for he was loosing his energy. Along with Stet, they both felt like blowing chunks, but couldn't.

"Since we're away from New York, the closest pharmacy would be in…" Private gulps. "New Jersey." he spoke out.

"New Jersey. That place is a death trap even without these zombies." Skipper said while smashing into a carcass.

"They're… noh…nah…GAK…" Kowalski swallowed the bitter and burning liquid back down. "They're not zombies!" Kowalski finished as a shiver ran over his spine, which only mentally damaged the wound.

"What ever you say soldier. I'll call them whatever I want." Skipper looks back at the struggling scientist. "You're in luck, I've decided to go to New Jersey. But, don't expect me to go to Hoboken. Let's just hope it's not overrun with zombies."

Kowalski nodded slowly, his head was throbbing. He turned to Stet. He was pretty much dead already. His color was fading. His feathers were piling on the seat. Marlene kept exchanging the cloth on his chest. He kept soaking each cloth with his blood. It was a surprise that he hasn't died from blood loss. If it's not blood loss, then it's definitely an infection that will end him. There's a definite chance that an infection has started. His chest did begin to turn a slight purple.

His breathing patterns were slowing. The owl's eyelids did begin to become heavy. Him closing them kept Marlene to tell him to wake up.

"Hey, stay with us. Stet?" Marlene said.

His eyelids shot open, but again they slowly began to droop back half way.

Marlene sighed.

"He's still there?" Skipper asked.

"Yeah, still hanging on. Don't worry, when we get to the pharmacy, Kowalski will make you feel better." Private turned to the scientist. Kowalski's eyelids also began to feel heavy. "I hope." Private said sadly.

The car came to a stop. Ahead was animals flooding in and out of the pharmacy. From here it looked picked clear. Many were fighting for supplies. Some were dead on the parking lot. Pools of blood were in all places. But luckily, there were no sign of zombies. Yet.

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><p>Reviews are always welcomed!<p> 


	10. Hope: Part Two

**July, 1. The big day. If you're reading this after that point of time, then you already know who has won the round or who won the World Cup. I'm betting on Mexico, Germany, or Brazil. **

**Congrats to Brazil and Colombia on today's games (June 28). You guys deserved it. See you both July, 4!**

**Anyways, here's chapter ten. Yay double digits! \o/**

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><p>The parking lot was a battle field. People were fighting to the death for these goods. The violence was suspected. I mean, there are running corpses trying to tear at you. Gut you. The feeling was horrible.<p>

"Over there. Just try not hit anyone. We don't want to start anything." Marlene suggested.

Skipper carefully turned the wheels, trying hard not to hit or bump anyone with the vehicle. "Um, I think coming here with our uniforms is going to start something." Skipper said.

"Can't we just take them off?" Private said.

The car parked. Arguments and screams were overlapping each other. Outside of the vehicle was chaos. Animals snatching items away from others. If they did step out of the car, they would surely get swarmed by the mass amounts of people in the area. It seems as if half the town's population was present.

Dead bodies were scattered on the pavement. Many from gunshot wounds and blood loss. Others were either dead from fatal fights that they could not win at or died from infection as it seemed.

Skipper turned to the youngest penguin. "Yes, good idea Private, why not just take off your uniform right in front of Marlene why don't you?" Skipper said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It's okay if Private does it, he just a boy. You guys on the other hand, that's something I don't want to see." Marlene said in disgust.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not stripping in front of anybody. I'm perfectly fine with my ass on this seat and a fucked up leg, thank you." Ray said while crossing his arms.

Private was untying his tie. "Sure, when he does it, it's adorable, but when we do it, it's an offence. Just enjoy it while it lasts. Otherwise, this happens to you out of nowhere." Skipper said annoyed.

Private already had his shirt folded before Skipper finished. Skipper glared at him. "Alright. Get out. You got your gun?" Skipper asked.

"Of course. Marlene, you need one?" Private asked the otter as he fastened his pistol in his holster.

"Are you kidding? I don't even know how to use one." Marlene said.

Skipper turned to her. "You're joking, right?" Skipper said.

"I kid you, not." Marlene answered as she made her way out of the car.

"Alright, Private, you take watch okay? Hopefully people haven't noticed our uniforms. And keep your gun close. Have your flipper on it, ready to pull it out and fire. Okay?" Skipper informed the young officer.

"Gotcha, Skippah." Private smiled as he shut the door behind him.

Skipper turned back to his steering wheel only to see Rico looking at him. They looked at each other. "We should face opposite sides. This doesn't have to become more awkward than it has to be." Skipper told the weapons expert.

"Yep." Rico replied."

"Kowalski?" Skipper called.

"Already ahead of you Skipper. I'm going with you guys. My head is exploding with pain, and I'm pretty sure my blood has soaked Rico's shirt, but you need me because you can't even pronounce a name of a molecule." Kowalski said while opening the door.

"I can to pronounce a molecule!" Skipper said.

"Oh, yeah? Say dodecahedrane." Kowalski said.

"Who?"

"Enough said." Kowalski said as he closed the door.

"Wait, you don't need to change, you already have your shirt off." Skipper said to Rico.

"Pants?" Rico asked Skipper. He did still had his jean uniform on.

"Fine, but make it snappy. I'm already tired of sitting in here. I swear if I have to stay in this car for another minute, I'll go awol." Skipper finished.

"Oh dear, it's a lot worse than I thought." Private quivered.

"What? It still looks like the same New Jersey. I'm pretty sure the infected haven't even made landfall here. Ha-ha- OW!" Kowalski chuckled, but was soon interrupted by a door hitting his hip.

"Oops, sorry." Rico apologized.

"It's okay, but next time please check if there's someone in the way. I really don't want this to become an occurrence." Kowalski said, rubbing his injured hip.

Skipper climbed of the vehicle. "You got your gun with you?" Skipper asked the lemur.

"Of course I do. Don't be idiotic." Ray said.

"You make sure he's breathing. Don't let him fall asleep. You understand. I want him still kicking when we come back." Skipper said.

Ray nodded.

Skipper turned to Stet. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you make it out of here alive." Skipper told the half-dead owl. He slowly nodded.

He closed the door. He nodded at Ray which the lemur returned.

"Are we ready? How many bullets you all have?" Skipper said while grabbing his gun from his holster.

"Fourteen." Private said while checking his pistol's cartridge.

"Eleven. You got all six of yours?" Kowalski said, still trying not to blow chunks. Skipper nodded.

"Well, here goes. Kowalski, status report." Skipper ordered.

"From the looks of it, the pharmacy looks picked clean. Mostly just baby food and frozen peas, but, the super center to its left looks like it still might hold it's goods intact. If we move now, we might be able to find what we're looking for." Kowalski stated.

"Hmm. Just what we need you say? This isn't the potential fever you are experiencing, Kowalski?" Skipper asked the strategist.

"If we're lucky, the store just might have what I need to figure out a cure for this disease. If. But, there's a forty-five percent chance that we will find what we need." Kowalski said.

An small explosion was seen from the store. The roof was partially blown off. It's walls were still intact, but there was a fire emerging from the back of the store.

"Make that twenty percent." Kowalski added.

Skipper shook his head. "Then we better go now before our chances keep lowering. Let's go team." Skipper said. With that, they exchanged nods and they ran off towards the smoking building.

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><p>Back in Georgia, Negan had just made it alive. He felt exhausted. All the running and firing took its toll on his body. His body ached. He felt his body heat up. The pulses in his arms and neck. His cheeks were warm and felt heavy.<p>

"Huff…God…goddamn.." he said to himself, out of breath. He had killed and hacked his way out of the city and into the outer, humid forests of Georgia. He looked around. Nothing but trees. It felt as if he was transported to another world.

"Damn, I've never seen so much green, I can only ever see green. Pretty though." Negan said aloud.

He continued walking. Following a path of some sort. Maybe belonging to a summer camp or a boys and girls club. God, how he hated camp. The thought of it made his blood boil.

With the thought of awful experiences in camp, and his blood boiling, he heard a twig snap. His ear twitched.

He quickly turned. There was no one behind him. That made him worry. A low growl has heard behind him. He stopped in his tracks, he relied on his peripheral vision to warn him of any incoming geek.

He quickly turned with an arrow ready to pierce skulls, but to his surprise, he found something he was dreading. A horde.

Thousands upon thousands of rotting corpses were wandering amidst the gigantic vegetation. He froze. His eyes widened. He couldn't move. His body said hide but his brain said another thing.

They were all walking so slowly. As they had to drag themselves to get across the large field of greens.

Entrails hanging from their bellies. Most were burnt and dissolving with the wind. Their skin was peeling, revealing the epidermis layer of the tissue. Vital organs could be visible. Some even burst because of the intense heat. With stomach ripped or spattered everywhere inside their bodies, if the stomach acid was not boiled, it was eating away at the remaining organs and tissue. Eroding the skin, the fat, and the fur.

For some, the acid left a holes all over the bottom halves of torsos and bellies. Even a few had their pile of mush made of intestines, private parts and liver fall out of their bodies because the acid had eaten away at their thin layer of flesh. Dissolving bones until the appendage actually fell off.

Burnt? This puzzled the Husky. As too he was fixed on the charted victims, that he didn't even notice the zombie approaching him.

He was about to turn to head back, but the undead carcass was dragging itself towards him. He quickly readied his arrow. But didn't release the fatal ammo.

The zombie walked right passed him. Didn't even took the time to smell him. In fact, did he smell him? More passed him by. They did not make a sound, but he was. Breathing of course. He wasn't sure if these thing even breathed. He was sure that most of them had their lungs punctured by three inch bullets.

"Hmm." Negan pondered. "This could work." he added.

He moved his left hind leg forward. No attention was noted. He moved his right hind leg forward. Still nothing. He looked at himself. The gunk. The black tar-like blood. That is what's 'hiding' from these reanimated beings. He continued walking forwards. He was amidst the horde now. Zombies began walking around him. He faced forward and started walking along the undead, rotting, falling apart crowd. He was now heading where the force of nature was heading.

"Fuck, yes." Negan whispered.

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><p>"Anything?!" Skipper yelled, shuffling shelves of useless items.<p>

"Nothing! Wait. I think I found it!" Private yelled.

Skipper quickly ran across the aisle. He found Private with a plastic bottle. He took the bottle from his flippers and read it. 'Metronidazole.' it read.

"Good work soldier." Skipper patted Private on the back. "Add these with the others." Skipper ordered Private.

Private nodded as he took the bottle from Skipper's flippers and began rushing to a the cart that Kowalski had on the other side of the shelves.

Skipper scanned the isle. There were at least six other antibacterial brand bottles in front of him. "In fact, bring him over here." Skipper added.

Marlene searched the shelves. Water bottles, 'Gatorades', anything edible and drinkable. She grabbed canned goods and quickly placed them inside the shopping cart. She didn't see anything else important in this aisle, so she grabbed her cart and took off. A man soon followed her. He pulled out his knife.

Private dodged everyone that was in the way. He was lucky to be small. As he crossed the next aisle where Kowalski was, he was cut off by a mysterious man. He bumped into him and he fell hard on the cold floor.

He landed on his side. His arm suddenly shocked with pain. He yelped as the man got closer to him. Private looked at him and quivered at the sight of the large knife.

"Going somewhere?" he said.

Skipper grabbed as many items his flippers could carry. There was a female scream followed by the sound of a cart crashing into something.

"Stop! Get off me!" Marlene screamed as she was pinned down by the animal. He held his knife firmly with one hand and held the otter's throat with the other.

Skipper ran towards the scene. There he saw Marlene on the floor struggling to get up. "Hey!" Skipper yelled.

"Skipper!" Marlene called to the penguin.

Skipper pulled his revolver out from his holster. "Freeze! You're under arrest!" Skipper barked. What did he just do?

"Kowalski!" Private yelled as the animal placed his knife on his neck. The teeth were jabbing his throat.

Skipper turned to the shouts of his soldier. The man stood up He grabbed his gun from holster from behind. He raised it and pointed it at Skipper. Rico quickly sprang from behind and fired his gun.

The bullet left the barrel of the pistol. It penetrated deep inside the fox's head. His brain turned to mush. But, the fox fired just before he was killed. The bullet flew and scraped Skipper's head.

It tore across his skull. Tearing his thin layer of tissue and flew to the other side of the room. Skipper fell with a thud. Blood flowed from the scrape.

The other man looked up to see his partner be killed. Then he was greeted with a bullet to the head as well, from Kowalski. Blood and brains splattered all over the shelves.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are welcomed. See you all in the next one!<p>

PS. Thank you, 'Guest' reviewer. That was a bit funny. Ha-ha... I'm a dark person. .-.


	11. Hope: Part Three

There is some foreshadowing in this chapter. Read very closely.

Also, I want to wish a very great and helpful friend of mine a Happy Birthday! Have a good one SkullDestroyer :)

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><p>His vision blurred. His head was throbbing. There was a ringing in his ears. He looked down as blood dripped from somewhere. He didn't know where it was coming from. It was probably his. His head was burning.<p>

He turned to his left to see Rico help Marlene up from the floor, but there was a body next to them with a pool of blood. It was motionless. Its chest didn't rise and fall. Most likely dead.

There was a gunshot followed by the screams of people. He followed the source of the small explosion. He saw as blood and brains were splattered the walls and shelves.

His eyes widened. Private. He was running in that direction wasn't he?

"Skipper!" Marlene called as both her and Rico rushed to aid the leader. She gasped at the sight of blood. His head had a gash. Blood was running down the side of his face.

The leader tried to get up but quickly fell back to the bloodied floor, staining his chest with his own blood. Rico placed his pistol back into his holster and offered a flipper to his leader. Skipper grabbed his flipper and lifted himself up.

Private and Kowalski ran around the aisle to find their leader bloodied. "Skipper?" Kowalski called as Private shielded his eyes. He'd seen enough blood today.

"Kowalski? Private? Are you two okay?" Skipper babbled, blood running down his neck.

"Yes, we're alright, but the real question is if you're alright." Kowalski said as he gave the plastic bags full of medicine to Private to aid his commander. He had never seen Skipper in this sort of state. His pupils were dilated. His body felt cold. It was probably from laying on the floor for too long, but still. Skipper was really taken aback.

"I'm fine Kowalski, le.. lets just get this to Stet." Skipper forced his tongue. He was getting lightheaded.

"Come here, let's get this on your head." Kowalski said, shuffling through the bag full medicine.

"No, we should save it for them." Skipper insisted.

"Then, what was the point of getting these if you're not going to use them." Kowalski said to the leader. Skipper blinked at him.

"Just let me put this on you." Kowalski reached his flipper Skipper's head. Skipper sighed and let the scientist shift his head to show the wound.

"Damn, this thing really cut deep into your head. You're lucky it just scrapped your skull. That's why you feeling all discombobulated. The slight trauma will cause the need to vomit sooner or later." Kowalski was as he twisted the cap off a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

Skipper's stomach rumbled. "Oof." Skipper let out as his belly made the sound.

"Or now." Kowalski finished. He held the bottle over Skipper's head. He tilted the container just enough to let the small stream of the alcohol to fill his gash. Skipper winced in pain as the liquid was eating away at his flesh.

It felt like thousands of needles were being injected into his tissue. Wait, NEEDLES? "Kowalski!" Skipper yelled as he shut his eyes tightly.

"I'm almost done." Kowalski said.

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><p>"How much 'till we get there?" A male voice shattered the silence.<p>

"'Till we get there, Leo. We need patience." a familiar German Shepherd told the Panda bear. The panda sighed.

"I think we need guns more than patience, Segen." a female penguin said sternly.

"Patience wins the race Megan. Got to remember that." Segen said.

"Yes, patience. 'Cause the runners are definitely taking their precious time ripping at other animal's flesh. That's why they're winning right?" Megan inquired.

Segen stopped in his tracks. He shut his eyes and sighed. Megan stared at the dog. What the hell is he going to do?

"See, it depends on the way you look at it." Segen said as he turned to face the female penguin.

The penguin blinked at him. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" she asked.

"She's right, even I don't know what the hell you're on about." Segen's wife laughed.

"What I'm trying to say, is that when the streets are overrun by runners? Is that what you call them?" Segen asked the female penguin.

"Yes." she answered.

"Well, while.. runners are roaming the streets, we'll be here. Rebuilding. Our own sanctuary. We could have what ever we want. Most of the things illegal, will remain illegal." Segen babbled.

"Okay, have you lost your mind?" Megan told the canine.

"Even better. I'm building a life. Haven't you heard? The World Health Organization went down. Overrun. Simple as that." Segen said coldly.

The animal's smiles faded. Depression filled the space.

"We've seen what this thing can do. I mean, just look at Dallas. It went down and it took the military with it. What ever this thing is, it's hurting us badly. The only way we can defend ourselves is to fortify. Keep the runners away because when our society has crumbled, there wont be a F.E.M.A. center. There wont be a military to protect you. There wont be a government to rely on. There will only be two beings. The dead and the living. While civilization fades, we'll be here. In our own town. Safe, thriving, surviving. Animality will not crumble. We will beat this thing. Because we are survivors. And what do survivors do?" Segen asked his crowd.

They all had the answers but they wanted Segen to continue.

"Survive. We survive. We have fought plagues since the start. We will come back from this." Segen added.

His companions stood there. Staring at him. He knew he had them.

"There's nothing stopping us from reaching that point. If we're willing to fight for it of course." Segen finished, the fiery sunset closing on his golden fur.

"I still think you're full of shit". Megan broke out.

Everyone chucked.

"Ha." Segen chuckled. "Well, Megan, isn't everyone?" Segen said.

"Wait, what do you mean fight for it?" Leo asked the canine.

"Yeah, what do you mean by that?" an eagle asked.

"Well, Aaron, what I mean is that people will be desperate by that point. You can't avoid it. People will want to take it away from us. And we will be ready if it ever comes to that. But, we won't know who exactly we will be dealing with. They could be a bloodthirsty group. Or, a smart, tactical, coordinated group, I don't know. But I do know is this; who ever it will be, they will loose." Segen finished.

The coldness of his voice was alarming to Megan. She looked over to the panda. He too, had the same facial expression. She wasn't too sure about this Segen guy.

"Are you sure we will be able to do this? Just the five of us?" Megan questioned.

Segen stared off into the distance. The golden sunrays were hitting his face. The wind was blowing.

"Oh, we'll make it alright. We'll be just.. Fine." Segen smiled as his muzzle was casting a dark shadow over his right eye.

* * *

><p>"There. I'm done, quit your whining." Kowalski said as he placed a large band aid on his head. Skipper glared at him. "Don't hit me." Kowalski told the leader.<p>

He turned his attention to the dead fox covered by his own blood. The thought of killing hadn't crossed his mind.

"You killed him?" Skipper asked Rico, not taking his eyes off the corpse.

The gang turned their heads over to the dead body except Private. Skipper didn't expect Private to look. He was still shaking from the other kill by Kowalski. In fact, he was splattered by blood. The poor guy was shaking like crazy.

"Yeah." Rico grunted.

Will it ever come to that again? What would they do if the time came again? Just take your gun and pull the trigger? He didn't want it to come to that. Murder is never the answer, only, this was defense. Did it count as murder. I mean, he was going to shoot Skipper.

"Skippah…" Private finally spoke out.

"What is it Private?" Skipper asked, putting his flipper on the young boy's back.

"I don't ever what killing to be the answer. Killing is wrong no matter what. These people had lives, families now… I don't know what they have now. They're turning into these…these..things and I don't know why? If Kowalski doesn't know-"

"Well, I haven't actually run any tests yet, so, saying that I don't know what's happening is-"

"If it kills you, then, what happens after that? What do you turn into? A killing machine?" Private asked with tears running down his face.

Skipper sighed. Kowalski too left a frustrated sigh. "We'll find out, Private. When Kowalski is able enough to investigate, and everything starts to calm down, we'll get to the bottom of this. I promise you." Skipper patted Private on the back. Private still sniffling.

"Aww, come here." Marlene said and gave the small penguin a warming hug. He hugged her back.

"Okay, with the love mush aside, lets get this to Stet." Skipper said, pointing at the bag of goods.

"Bring the rest of the stuff Marlene brought. We're gonna have to rush out of here. Its getting dark out there." Skipper commanded.

Rico rushed and grabbed the shopping kart and rushed out of the crime scene.

Kowalski helped Skipper by putting his flipper over his back for the extra support. Skipper was still nauseous. Private and Marlene each carried the same amount of bags full of medication. Everyone was now heading out the front doors.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you doing alright?" Ray asked the barely breathing bird.<p>

He nodded slightly. With that head gesture, his body had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore. It felt like he snapped his neck in half. His spine had turned from a solid to a liquid. Even more disturbing, his eyes started to ooze a black, tar-like, substance.

Ray witnessed as the black liquid ran down his cheeks. He gagged and faced forward again. He took a few deep breaths to take is mind off the images.

"C'mon guys, why is it taking you so long?" Ray asked himself.

There was a knock on the glass. He turned to see a gun pointed at him on the other side of the window.

"Get out of the car. Now!" the jackrabbit yelled.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm getting robbed by a bunny rabbit?" Ray laughed at the thought.

"I'm a jackrabbit asshole!" he snapped.

"Jackrabbit? More like a Jackass." Ray chuckled.

The jackrabbit smashed the window with his gun, covering Ray in glass.

"I said get the fuck out!" the jackrabbit yelled. He reached and unlocked the door. He grabbed Ray and violently threw him out of the vehicle.

His injured leg smashed into the pavement hard. He yelled in pain as the electrifying currents of his nerves whipped at him. Another jackrabbit, probably his brother, walked to the other side.

"Hey, there's another one in there!" he informed the other jackrabbit.

"Stet!" Ray yelled as the rabbit walked closer to him.

"Shut up!" he yelled at him and kicked him in the gut. His oxygen quickly leaving his lungs.

The other rabbit opened the door and saw the mess that was Stet. "This one's bit!" he informed his companion.

"Well, fucking kill him!" he answered.

"No!" Ray yelled in agony as the second deadly kick to the stomach came.

"Well, sorry you had to go this way." the other rabbit said as he raised his gun at the dying owl.

"No, fuck!" Ray coughed out blood.

"Asshole." he said as the jackrabbit raised his gun at the beaten lemur.

"No!" Skipper yelled as he slammed into the rabbit, knocking his breath out of his lungs.

The rabbit smashed into the pavement. His head hitting the hard surface. Skipper's arm came down and punched the jackrabbit in the face hard. The second one came down like a lightning bolt.

The other rabbit looked up to see his brother being tackled. Before he did anything, a bullet penetrated his skull. Private gasped.

"I'm sorry, Private." Kowalski said to the penguin.

"You, fuck!" Skipper yelled as the fifth punch came down.

"Skipper!" Marlene called.

Yards away, a horde of undead carcasses followed the sounds of the gunshots. Running through the streets and finally reaching their target.

One leaped onto its prey and brought its jaws into its victim's neck. Blood soaking the undead.

"Hurry up!" Kowalski ordered Rico as they both were filling the truck with their supplies, Skipper still beating the jackrabbit.

Thousands of running carcasses flooded the parking lot. Infecting the blood of those who were bitten and eaten. The dead were getting closer to them.

"Um… Kowalski!" Private yelled as he pointed at the thousands of fleeing casualties and reanimated corpses were getting closer.

Kowalski's eyes widened. He turned to his leader. He was still beating at the rabbit. "Skipper!" Kowalski called.

He finally got control of his arm. His flipper was bloodied. So was his chest and face. He looked down at the horror underneath him. He had beaten the jackrabbit to death. His face was unrecognizable. He just sat there. In a trance.

He looked up to see hundreds being eaten and gutted. Guts were spilling and blood was pouring.

An undead carcass missed its target and fell to the ground. It looks up to see Skipper. He growls and picks himself up. He starts running with its jaws fully open.

Skipper still motionless. The dead being was a few feet away until a bullet penetrated its skull. With the sound of the blast, he finally snapped out of his trance. The shooter? None other than, Private.

"Hurry up!" Kowalski yelled as he started shooting at the running corpses. Skipper quickly got up from the ground and took out his revolver.

As he ran around the car to the driver's side, he fired his gun, ending some of the undead.

"Get in!" Kowalski said as Skipper climbed in. He placed his revolver back into his holster. He stepped on the pedal and the car jolted as they made their way out of the bloody massacre.

* * *

><p><strong>Here's another one. This site is sexist. LoneWolf knows what I'm talking about. :l<strong>

**PS: I'm sorry to hear about your hand, Adaline. Hope your hand feels betters!**

** Again, Thank You to SkullDestroyer, TheSkySpiritsTalentShow, mikadaphne28, and JustAnotherLoneWolf for helping me. Two of them, Leo and Megan are finally here! Megan is by LoneWolf and Leo is by **mikadaphne28. Much thank you! Such wow!****


	12. Hope: Finale

Skipper steered the vehicle to dodge the leaping corpses. The dead were feasting on the living. The living turning in a matter of minutes, seconds. Some of them, it was going to be a while until they turn.

The twitching was first. The limits of how far bones could bend were broken. Arms bending and twitching backwards.

Dozens of eaten bodies began to twitch and move violently. Organs shutting down, blood flow stopping. Their eyes oozing blood. Their brains turning into a soup, leaving only the necessary parts the disease needed to use in order to feast, thrive, survive, and infect.

"Skipper!" Kowalski yelled, holding tightly to everything around him. If he had these things called nails, they would be two inches deep inside the leather seat. His heart was racing. If they crash into something, it's not going to be pretty. "Skipper?!" he called once more.

The images of that rabbit kept flashing in Skipper's head, haunting him. What did he do? Why didn't he stop? He looked at his flippers. They were covered in blood. One was probably sprained. It would hurt every time he shifted the wheel. The thought of murder was never ending.

He killed an animal. Brutally. Kowalski and Rico both had killed a person, but not as violent as him. Now that he was reliving the memory, he could recall the feeling of the jackrabbit's skull breaking under his 'fists'.

This place was turning him into something else. A killer. But he could shake the thought of him doing the right thing. He was right to protect Ray and Stet, but… He went too far.

As they made their way deeper into the city, more and more undead corpses were showing up in the streets. Leaping and bringing their food down to the floor. More and more blood was being visible on buildings and streets.

Surprisingly the sound of helicopter blades was being heard from behind. Wait, helicopter?!

"Behind us!" Ray yelled.

The helicopter lost control. Its blade were missing and the tail was nowhere to be seen. It plummeted to the streets filled with civilians and runners. The nose hit the pavement first and ignited on impact. Engulfing the surrounding beings in flames and incinerating those who were only a mere few feet away.

The flames engulfed half of the van. The flames whipped at the car. The windows were tinted black and the edges were completely burnt. Thankfully, they were just far enough to be spared by the blazing flames.

"Jesus Christ!" Ray yelled as they were barely spared.

Skipper didn't lift his foot off the gas pedal for a second. He stayed at a constant speed; fast enough.

They made it passed the traffic and were now at the city's highway. A mistake that Skipper had missed.

As they made their turn to the highway, hundreds of runners had already invaded. They all had their sights set on the speeding vehicle. They all charged at once.

"Skipper!" Marlene called. Skipper didn't reply, nor slowed down. In fact, he sped up.

"Skipper slow the car down!" Ray ordered.

The leader did nothing. He was still. Motionless. His eyes not leaving his gaze. He was trapped in this trance. It kept creeping up on his body. Taking control of his mind. Thoughts would not process. It felt as if all his brain cells had failed.

A runner leaped and landed on Skipper's door. It leaned its head back and with all its force, drove its head right through the window, launching glass everywhere.

The runner had its jaws ready to rip at Skipper's neck. Kowalski was quick enough to grab his gun and pulled the trigger. Barely missing Skipper and ending the zombie's cry. The runner felt off and landed on the concrete. More to follow.

A second runner launched and attached itself on the other side of the car. It landed on Private's door. Its bloodied face pressing on the glass. "Gah!" Private jumped in horror. The window began to crack.

Skipper whipped the steering wheel to the right. The car smashed into the concrete divider, smothering the zombie on it. Its blood burst in every direction like a volcano. Its organs were smeared all over the concrete. Sparks flew. Skipper turned the wheel and the car went back to the right side of the road. Chunks of tissue were peeling off the car.

"Holy shit!" Ray laughed.

The car collided with a runner. The body exploded as blood splattered everywhere. His torso smashing against the windshield.

They finally made it out of the 'Highway to Hell' and were now driving to the suburbs. The runner soon turned their attention to the other incoming cars.

"Skipper…?" Kowalski called.

"What?" Skipper said casually.

This took Kowalski aback. What was wrong with his leader. He feared that he was infected with the disease. After witnessing how other's behaviors were, aggression was some sort of symptom. With the beat down Skipper inflicted on the jackrabbit…

"How are you feeling?" Kowalski inquired.

This caught the leader's attention and everyone else's.

"Why do you ask?" Skipper asked, finally leaving his gaze from the street slightly.

"Well, I've been noticing that you've been acting differently." Kowalski said.

"Different how?" Skipper inquired.

"Well for starters, you brutally killed a man. Though, I know the reason why, as I did the same deed, but brutally? And you not answering us back there? What's going on with you? You have us worried sick." Kowalski inquired.

Skipper sighed. "The truth is, I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me. I know I've made my mistakes in the past, but, this one… this is haunting me. I didn't even think twice about tackling that guy." Skipper answered.

"Hmm."

"I don't know if it's stress, or the sheer fact of loosing one of you people. This virus or what ever it is, its taking its toll on me. Effecting me, and I'm horrified of what I'm going to do next. And I know I'm not the only one." Skipper continued, looking back at everyone.

Everyone looked at each other. What was happening to them?

"I know what you're saying. Come to think of it, just yesterday I was shuffling through files in our office. Now, I'm here blowing the brains out of animals without thinking." Kowalski sighed.

"Can this disease mess around with our emotions?" Private blurted out.

"Well Private, it depends." Kowalski said.

"Does it, or does it not?" Skipper inquired.

"Well, for starters, I can tell you that this doesn't. I mean, look at Stet. The disease has taken most of his body. I think we should pull over. He's beginning to bleed." Kowalski said.

Blood began to run down Stet's ears. With that, the car came to a stop. Kowalski climbed out of the vehicle and headed for the trunk.

Skipper opened Stet's door. "How are you feeling?" Skipper inquired.

Stet tried to open his beak. Skipper looked down at his chest. His eyes widened. "Kowalski?" he called.

"I got the medicine! I'm coming, I'm coming." Kowalski said as he shut the door of the trunk. He waddled around to Stet's side. When he reached there, his beak dropped.

Stet's chest was swollen. His muscles and tissue were expanding, poking out of the bite wound. Dried blood was blanketing the wound. Abscesses were beginning to form.

"Oh, God." Skipper said.

"Skipper.." Kowalski began.

"No. NO! Don't say it!" Skipper yelled as he stepped away from the vehicle. The others were all outside Stet's door with the exception of Ray.

"It's too late. We're too late." Kowalski said.

"NO!" Skipper yelled sharply, putting his flippers on his wounded head and facing the other direction. There was nothing but grey skies. No houses for miles as it seemed. Just one tree. Other than that, just fields of pale green grass.

"Is he…" Private started.

"I'm… I'm afraid so." Kowalski sniffled.

Private started to cry. Tears ran down his face as he buried his face into his flippers.

"Shit!" Ray yelled. "Goddamn it!" Ray said, frustrated and slamming his fists on the leather seat.

"Oh, God. I can't I'm sorry, I can't deal with another death again." Marlene said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Me 'ethr" Rico grunted, a tear slipping down from his eye.

"Fuck…" Kowalski cried. His head dropped. His flipper coming to his forehead. His grip on the medicine loosened.

"G..gu.." Stet tried.

Everyone's hearts stopped. Everything was hurting. Their hearts were in their throats.

"Stet? What is it?" Skipper inquired, tears slowly running down his feathers.

"It..it's t..time." Stet forced himself.

"No. Don't think that. You're goin… I'm sorry Stet. I'm so sorry." Skipper said, lowering his head. Private still bawling. Even Ray had a few tears.

"Skipper?" Kowalski started.

"It's w-wha-what I wan-t. I-I want t-to be w-wi-th her." Stet said.

By this time, Kowalski started to bawl and Rico was shedding more tears.

Skipper looked up. He and Stet met eye to eye. Stet nodded. Skipper took a deep breath and exhaled. He nodded as well.

* * *

><p>"One…two…three!" Skipper grunted as they rested Stet on the only tree in the area. It was just about a few feet away from the road.<p>

Stet landed softly and sighed. Skipper nodded and Kowalski and Rico headed back to the vehicle. Skipper turned to Stet and pulled out his revolver.

Stet's eyes closed and he took his last breath. His lungs were empty. His brain shut down.

Skipper raised his gun until it met the owl's head.

"I'm sorry." Skipper whispered as he pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

_End of episode three._

_Outro song: What If by: Coldplay_

**R.I.P.**

Countless numbers of animals

Negan's daughter

Fox #1

Fox #2

Jackrabbit jackass #1

Jackrabbit jackass #2

Stet

Next Episode: **The Calm Before**


	13. The Calm Before: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Penguins of Madagascar. **

**There's some slight foreshadowing here as well. Good luck finding it, Wolf.**

* * *

><p>Last time, on The Dead: The group find themselves in the middle of complete chaos as they rush to find medicine for Stet's state. Meanwhile, a Red Husky finds himself an opportunity to actually survive through this running apocalypse; his bow and arrows. And in the Southern states, a group of five have found themselves leaded by a familiar German Shepherd, who has the need to rebuild civilization and Animality, but no one knows of what he is truly capable of…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Near the Alantian suburbs, a local high school used its campus to serve as a F.E.M.A. center for its residents. Hundreds of people were gathered inside and outside of the campus. Cars were parked anywhere where they could fit. After the alarming news of a 'viral' infection in the city, people started panicking.

People were frightened. Most brushed it off as a simple cough. But, when the disease was starting to reanimate corpses from the streets, many of them… chose the other way of escaping. There was an entire family that chose that route.

Every hour or so, there would be the sound of a gunshot. Probably indicating that another one took his or her life somewhere in the area.

"Any luck, Erik?" a grey furred wolf inquired.

"Nothing yet, buddy. Seems like everything is down at the moment." Erik, a fruit bat, answered.

"Damn, what is taking so long?" the grey wolf pondered.

"Haven't you heard? It's the pending apocalypse, Erik." a vampire bat said.

"Pending? I think you meant the apocalypse." a brown furred lemur corrected.

"Well, I don't really see red skies above us, Raymond." the wolf remarked.

"Kyle, you have stop using your knowledge of movies in reality." Raymond responded.

"Well, you know Kyle. He's Kyle." a grey furred lemur declared.

"That has to be the perfect way to describe me." Kyle said. "Okay, Mia, now do Raymond!" he continued.

"Guys! Hush!" the brown furred lemur by the name of Tanya ordered. "Turn it up." she told Erik.

The bat nodded and turned the knob on the radio. The announcements were back, but, they were finally explaining what was happening, but it turns out, the truth would have been more helpful hidden.

"…we are getting reports of the tragedy in New York City now. It seems that was have lost New York." the reporter paused for a moment. "I repeat, New York has gone dark." he finished.

"Goddamn." Erik said quietly.

"For any of those still out there, we suggest that you stay away from major cities or anywhere where there is a large amount of people in the area. We have still not gotten the confirmation of this disease being airborne." he stated.

"Airborne?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Raymond inquired.

"It mean that the sickness can spread through the air." a white coated wolf said.

"I know what 'airborne' means, Naomi, but, airborne? C'mon, isn't this thing already killing us off faster?" Raymond inquired.

"Symptoms include: severe headaches, fever, sore throat, chills, joint pain, necrosis, and internal hemorrhaging. Followed by.. reanimation." the reporter finished

"Man, that escalated quickly." Kyle stated.

"I'm going to go check on that girl we found. I'll be right back." Tanya informed as she left.

"Be careful." Raymond said.

"I will." she replied as she headed to the large green tinted tent.

* * *

><p>"When was the last time you had water?" the puffin asked.<p>

"Thirty-six hours ago." the teenaged Golden Retriever answered.

"What about food? You've eaten anything?"

"Forty-six hours ago."

"Any family left?" the puffin asked.

She paused. Her face turning glum. "No." she answered sadly.

"Okay, I am now going to examine you. Just hold still" the puffin said as he pulled out his half pen half flashlight from his uniform's pocket. He pressed the top and the small light illuminated.

He brought his flipper close to her face. He gently pulled down her left eyelid exposing most of her eye. "Just follow the light." he instructed.

As he moved the small flashlight left and right, she followed it. Her pupils showing dilation.

"Okay, now, say 'AH'" the puffin instructed.

The canine opened wide to reveal her teeth. He checked her gums form discoloration. He also checked her throat for irritation, which she didn't seem to have. "Okay, we're all done." he said.

On cue, Tanya popped in. "How is she?" she inquired. The tent was full of all kinds of stuff. There was a table on the far right corner. Medicine and half empty water bottles were scattered along the table. Antibiotics to aspirin to syringes. There was a lantern that was spreading the photons on every corner of the tent.

"Not good, but better than most of the people here. All of them either starving, dehydrated, petrified. It's not like anything I've ever seen before. She lost her family." the puffin said.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Tanya comforted.

"Thank you.." the girl thanked.

"She finally managed to tell me her name." the puffin said.

"Really? What is it?" Tanya inquired.

"It's Molly." she answered.

"Well, that's a lovely name, Molly. Is that short for something?"

"No, just Molly. What's yours?" Molly asked.

"The name's Tanya." she replied.

"I think your name is much prettier than mine." she smiled.

"You're joking, but, thank you for the compliment." Tanya thanked the canine.

"You're very welcome. You're safe with us honey." Tanya stated. That line made the Golden Retriever smile.

"How about we get you something to eat? You must be starving." the puffin suggested.

"That would be great, thank you." Molly implied.

"I'll be right back, I'll get you a M.R.E. Tanya, can I have a word with you?" the puffin inquired.

"Um, sure?" Tanya replied.

"We'll be right back." the puffin informed. She nodded and laid down on the couch she was sitting on.

Tanya and the puffin made their way outside the tent.

"Is she infected?" Tanya asked.

"What? No!" the puffin replied. Tanya gave him a look. "She's not infected. I didn't see and redness in her throat."

"Well, that's good. So, what was the point of this?" she inquired.

"We're running out of food." he stated.

Her heart skipped a beat. Running out of food? They were barely here for two and a half days. Didn't these guys pack enough food before hand?!

"What the hell do you mean we're running out of food?" she whispered sharply, not wanting the other people around them listening.

"I mean, we are running out of food. There's not going to be enough for everyone by tomorrow. Pretty soon, they're going to catch up on what's happening, and if that happens, there's no telling what will happen." the puffin said anxiously.

"Well, why did you guys pack enough to last two stinking days?!" her voice was starting to get louder.

"Tanya, we're not the only ones affected. This thing has spread to the entire east coast. From Maine all the way down to Florida. Not just Georgia and New York. The news isn't telling us this because it would cause a panic. With all these areas infected, we didn't know that the entire east coast was in need of help. Badly. That's over one hundred, seventeen million people. One-third of the United States. And, that's just seventeen out of the fifty states." the puffin stated.

"Jesus Christ. Are sure?" she asked anxiously. The puffin nodded. "So, a whole third of the country is in deep-"

"I'm afraid so." the puffin interrupted.

"Wait 'till the gang hears this." Tanya said.

"There's a couple of M.R.E.s in my car, just take as much as your friends need. Just incase people get worked up over the shortage. You might have to leave when that happens." the puffin suggested.

"What about you?" Tanya inquired.

"I'll worry about myself, but when the time comes, go." he said sternly.

"Alright, thank you for everything, Icy." she thanked the puffin.

"You're welcome, it's the least I could do." Icy said as he headed back inside the tent. Tanya headed back to her group as well.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season One**

**The Calm Before**

Silence. Complete and utter silence dominated the space between the remaining six. No one talked. No one made a peep. The lack of sound was deafening. So quiet, you could here the sound of your blood flowing in your ears. That is, until Kowalski broke the silence.

"You know you did the right thing." Kowalski said.

"What? Killed another man? That's nothing to be proud of." Skipper said.

"You saved him."

"Saved him? I ended his life for Christ's sake."

"He was going to take his last breath anyways." Kowalski said coldly.

"I just made it happen much earlier." Skipper said.

"No one could of done it, but you."

"Pulling the trigger?" Skipper said.

"No, taking leadership. If we didn't have you through all of this, we would have three times the people.. gone." Kowalski said.

Skipper stayed quiet.

"So, what's the plan now?" Ray asked.

"We head east." Skipper answered.

"What makes you say that?" Marlene inquired.

"Back in New York, me and Private met a soldier, told us to head east. Said to be a safe place. He didn't make it."

"Maybe a F.E.M.A. center." Kowalski suggested.

"Maybe. Maybe it's already infested with these things. You know, I'm tired of calling them 'zombies' it seems a little too on the fictional side." Skipper said, turning to Kowalski.

"Finally." Kowalski sighed.

"Well, they run. And eat you. And... make you turn into one of them." Private said sadly.

"Hmm. Runners. Eaters. Or, turners." Skipper thought of the names by their characteristics.

"Really?" Kowalski said frustrated.

"I like 'runners'." Ray said.

"I guess." Private said.

"C'mon. Really?!" Kowalski yelled.

"Wow, we're joking on naming them. We're pretty.. messed up." Skipper paused.

"Why did you pause mid-sentence?" Marlene inquired.

"I almost cursed again. Think I've done too much of that. You too Kowalski." Skipper turned to the scientist.

"We need somewhere to spend the night. Driving at this time of night? We might as well ring the dinner bell." Kowalski suggested.

"We'll find somewhere. Got to be." Private said.

"Hopefully." Skipper said, openly.

* * *

><p>So, a whole lot of new characters. This is either a good thing or a bad thing. Why bad? Because you'll be seeing them suffering. Sry.<p>

* * *

><p>I would like to thank, <strong>Sweetpanda12<strong> for suggesting tres new characters! We'll see them soon enough.

Anyways, TWD fans, only 14 days until the Season 5 trailer is released! :D


	14. Author's Note (Ignore This)

Author's Note:

Well, I'm in Rio. Yep, I'm, or was, here to see the World Cup final. WHICH WAS AMAZING. We didn't plan to go to Brazil for just one day, so we're staying for the rest week. All I was able to bring was my phone and my tablet. My email hasn't been working properly, so I couldn't email chapters to post on my iDevices. So, the minimum time for me to get back to uploading is Tuesday, the 22nd. But, I do have 11 chapters ready to post so, that's good, only I won't be able to post them .-.

The sudden lack of chapters doesn't mean I've given up on this. If I did, I would have made a huge mistake because you have no idea how epic and dark this thing is going to be in the future. So, until I'm back at the States, I won't be able to post my thaings.

HOPE YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND.

OH, and congrats, Germany for winning. :)


	15. The Calm Before: Part Two

**Holy shit. I checked my e-mail and this motherfucker popped up. I really hope that the others will come in soon enough. So, here's the next chappie!**

* * *

><p>The final rays of the sun finally disappeared and the first glimmers of the full moon sprouted on the other side of the horizon.<p>

Buildings were up in flames, the stores were looted to the core, dead, eaten bodies were scattered all over the place. Many animals were running in the streets since no cars seemed to be used, except for theirs.

A whole lot of runners must have swept through here. There were dozes of carcasses with bullet holes engraved in their skulls. There was so much blood, it painted the streets.

Just when the gang were half way through the city, the car started to sputter. The car's engine stopped and they came to a halt.

"Damn it. Well, looks like were going to have to spend the night here." Skipper sighed.

"What about getting another car?" Ray inquired.

"Are you kidding me? It's too dangerous driving out in the dark. We'll get another car tomorrow. Besides, aren't you crazy tired?" Skipper asked.

"Well, maybe a little.." Ray yawned.

"With that settled, how's we find ourselves a temporary home?" Skipper suggested.

"How about those?" Kowalski inquired, pointing his flipper at the small apartment buildings about a few blocks away.

"Fine, everyone out of the car, grab what you can. We'll get the rest later. Hopefully these people think that we left the car empty." Skipper ordered as he opened his door.

Kowalski stepped out of the van to assist Ray. He's leg would have to be treated inside. Thank the heavens that they have found the medicine when they did. Skipper waddled to open Private's door but, Marlene was actually sitting there.

"Thanks, Skipper." she thanked him.

"What? I thought Private was sitting there." Skipper said.

Marlene just gave him look and walked away, towards the trunk.

"What?" Skipper inquired.

The otter opened the trunk and started grabbing bags full of supplies. Kowalski had Ray and started waddling towards the trunk as well.

"You hand me some bags, Marlene?" Kowalski inquired.

"Here, you can take the medicine and the light stuff. I don't want to you hurting your back." Marlene said as she handed the strategist the supplies.

"Don't leave me out, honey." Ray said.

"Wasn't planning to. Oh, and don't ever call me 'honey', honey." Marlene said as she handed the lemur his share of bags.

"Sure thing?" Ray said awkwardly.

Skipper and Private finally joined the rest and grabbed the remaining bags.

"Hmm. I thought we packed a lot more." Skipper thought.

"We must have lost some along the way to the van back in New Jersey." Private suggested.

"Perhaps so." Skipper said.

On cue, people started screaming and the loud growls of the dead started booming.

"Oh, shit." Ray sighed.

A horde of runners came rushing in behind them, already attacking and tearing at the public.

"RUN!" Skipper ordered as they started rushing towards the apartment building, a block away.

Ray took one step and missed his footing. He slipped and Kowalski lost his balance. "Skipper!" Kowalski called to the leader. The dead were closing in on them.

"Rico, go! I'll cover you three." Skipper barked as he pulled out his revolver. Rico nodded as Skipper pulled the trigger, lead tearing into the brains of the runner.

"'Ere." Rico held his flipper to Kowalski. Ray was able to stand and was carried by both penguins.

"Let's go!" Skipper barked. His gun was half full of lead. He clicked the hammer and ran with the others. The foul smell blood started to reek. Guts were spilling. Suddenly the smell of rotten meat filled his lungs. Then the thought hit him. Are these really zombies?

A runner sneaked up on them and pounced on Private. Before it landed on him, a bullet entered it's skull. The reanimated carcass collapsed to the pavement.

It wasn't Skipper who pulled the trigger. It was neither of them. Skipper ran up to assist the tumbled penguin. Who pulled the trigger?

"Skipper?" Marlene called.

Skipper looked up, only to see a German Shepherd pointing his gun at him. Skipper just glared at him. You pull the trigger…

The canine brought down his gun. "This way!" he said, holding the front door to what seem like a condo.

Skipper just stood there, baffled. The sound of a gunshot brought him back. The runners were getting much more closer. "Everyone in!" Skipper barked. He grabbed Private by the flipper and ran in with him. The boy was still feeling the effects of that sudden scare.

Skipper and Private ran inside along with Marlene. Kowalski, Ray, and Rico soon followed. The dog quickly shut the door behind them. Skipper let go of Private's flipper to assist the canine.

"Here, help me with this!" the canine yelled as Skipper took the rope the canine handed him.

They both tied the handle of the door with the door next to it. That way, the runners won't be able to get in as easily. As they got the knot to stay tightened, the first wave of runners crashed into the doors. Thankfully, the knot held together. Otherwise, they would have been dead meat. No pun intended.

"Up the stairs!" the canine commanded. Skipper was hesitant at first, but with the amount of choices they had, he had no other choice.

"You heard the man. MOVE IT!" Skipper barked.

"Hold on tight, these stairs are going to be tricky." Kowalski told the lemur.

The glass panels on the door began to crack.

"GO!" Skipper yelled. The animals began rushing up the metal stairs leading up to the rooms. The first pane of glass broke and arms began reaching in. The sounds of gurgling and screams haunted the lobby once again.

"Keep heading up!" the canine yelled.

"Argh! Fuck!" Ray complained as his leg kept hitting the steps of the stairs. Every time he moved his leg, pain would shoot up his nerves and to his spine.

The door came off its hinges and crumbled under the weight of dozens of runners falling on top of it The ones in the back just climbed on top of the ones on the floor. Following the loud banging of feet hitting the metal of the stairs, they began climbing the stairs at a much faster pace.

"They're coming!" Private wailed.

"Skipper!" Kowalski called.

"We're here!" the canine said as he stepped foot on the leveled floor of the corridor with empty, bloodied rooms. It was almost pitch black, it was really uncomfortable. You couldn't see anything. You would have to squint your eyes really hard.

Skipper climbed up and headed towards the railing looking upon the stairs. There he witnessed dozens of corpses were rushing up the steps to tear into them. He pulled out his revolver and pulled he trigger. The bullet entered the head of a carcass and it came down. It collided with a few behind it and they fell down the steps. But, the others were rushing on ahead.

"Follow me!" the canine ordered.

"Skipper?" Marlene called.

"Go! I'll be right there!" Skipper yelled.

"C'mon, Marlene." Private said as he grabbed her paw and ran away with her, following the German Shepherd.

Kowalski, Ray, and Rico finally made it to the top. Skipper fired his third bullet, taking out a few more. As he pulled the trigger, his revolver clicked. It was empty. "Oh.." Skipper said, dismayed.

"Skipper!" Kowalski called.

Skipper finally left the area as the corpses below began picking themselves up. He placed his revolver back inside his holster. He was out of bullets, but he wasn't going to leave his gun behind.

"Wait, get inside here." the German Shepherd told Private and Marlene. He opened the door to a room that was pitch black and was empty. No one was inside. It seemed as if the entire building was empty. Well… not anymore.

"After you." Private insisted as the otter went inside. Private followed.

Kowalski and the others made it to the end of the corridor which connected to two others. He turned left while Rico turned right. Both were pitch black. It seemed as if they kept going forever. Never ending.

"Private?" Kowalski sharply whispered.

"In here." Private whispered.

Kowalski turned to the sound of his voice. Turns out, they passed him by two doors. They got closer to where the voice erupted.

"Where?" Ray inquired.

"In here." Private repeated.

Kowalski squinted his eyes. He couldn't see anything.

"There." Rico grunted.

The door in front of them had a silhouette of a face. That face was none other than Private's.

The three rushed inside while Skipper reached up to them. He saw three figures entering a room. "Kowalski?" Skipper called.

"In here, Skipper." Kowalski answered.

Skipper listened closely and found the source of his Lieutenant's voice. He ran as he heard the slight sound of the groans of the runners.

As Skipper closed in on the room, a flipper grabbed him and pulled him inside the room. "Gah!" Skipper said, startled.

Everyone was inside the pitch black room. Not being able to see your own flipper or paw right in front of your face. All you could see are the shadows of the walking dead.

"Everyone, keep quiet." Skipper whispered very lowly.

The first runner came, but it wasn't running. It was actually walking. This was a first to see. The second came and it too was not charging. A few other came. They seemed so hostile.

Each were walking along the corridor. Each searching for their prey. Their dead eyes were scanning every inch of the hallway. Thankfully they didn't understand how doors work.

It seemed like an eternity. Their hearts were beating so hard, it felt as if the reanimated carcasses would hear. Every breath felt like a death sentence. Risking getting caught.

A runner crept up from the stairs. It wandered around for a bit, until it made its way to the doors. It bumped into one, opening is slightly. It looked around and saw nor smelled nothing. It continued to the next. This one seemed smarter than the rest. Smarter? Do their brains even work?

The others started to catch on and started pushing themselves on the doors, some were closed, so it was pretty funny to see an undead carcass smashing into a door and grumbling. But, the smart one started to walk over to their room. But, their door was wide open.

As the undead carcass walked closer to the room, Skipper tapped Private on the flipper. Private turned to him, but couldn't see much. He made up Skipper giving the gesture to pull out his… gun. That made him shiver.

Private shook his head. The runner came closer. "Private?!" Skipper sharply whispered. The runner was about a few feet away By this time, the young penguin moved his shaking flipper to his pistol and pulled it out of the holster. The runner doesn't realize that the door was wide open, so it did not change speed. The small bird lifted his gun and placed his flipper on the trigger. His heart was beating rapidly. His face started burning up. His head throbbed and his flippers were looked like they were having small spasms.

Before the runner came an inch from the doorway, the something seemed to fall to the ground somewhere in one of the corridors near them. The runner stopped and turned his head slowly towards the noise. It slowly growled and started jogging towards the source. The others soon followed.

Private let out a long sigh as the last one left the corridor. The canine poked his head out and scanned the corridor. "Is there any left? Are they still there?" Private quivered.

"All clear." the canine whispered.

With the update, they made their way out of the dark room and entered the shady hallway. The atmosphere didn't change at all. The canine stayed to the left wall hurried to the end of the hallway. He poked his head to check if the undead beings were still roaming, only, they weren't there.

"Get back here!" Skipper sharply whispered as he grabbed the dog and pulled him out of the range on sight. The runners were in the other hallway. Luckily, they didn't see a penguin dragging a dog from a corner.

"Damn that was close, thanks for the save there." the German Shepherd sighed.

"No problem, just don't go ahead and do anything without thinking first. Otherwise… it's curtains for us." Skipper remarked as he helped the canine up from the floor.

"I'll keep that in mind…" the German Shepherd stopped.

"Skipper. It's Skipper. That over is Marlene. The three over there from left to right are Kowalski, Ray, and Rico. And the young one is Private. And you are?" Skipper inquired.

"Ryan. The name's Ryan." Ryan said as he held his paw in front of Skipper. Skipper reached his flipper to shake it.

"Um, not to be rude but, there's about a thousand hungry undead bastards just waiting outside our doors. Then there's the fuckers right here in our house." Ray interrupted.

"As I hate to admit it, he's right. Where do we go from here?" Marlene inquired.

"I have a room, not far from here, I have loads of guns. MK's, rifles, SMG's shotguns, and an assault rifle. Pretty heavy shit. Oh, sorry for the coarse language in front of the young one." Ryan said.

"That's quite a lot of machinery for one individual." Kowalski stated.

"Well, there were three of us, but… I think you guys know what happened." Ryan's eyes met the ground.

"Yeah," Skipper turned to his team. "we do." Skipper finished.

"We can go pick them up and we'll be on our way. I heard that D.C.'s got something for us. A Geek-free zone." Ryan said.

"Geek? That's what you call them." Private inquired.

"Yeah. Well, anyways, how about we get those guns?" Ryan inquired.

Skipper nodded. "Alright, let's go. Try not to make any noise. There are a lot of undead Geek running around here. If we get caught, then we're dead meat." Ryan said.

"Kind of ironic, don't you think?" Kowalski said.

They crept through the dark hallway, passing doors sending a strong foul odor. Probably dead, eaten bodies were in there. Just another grave made.

Ryan was in front of the group, leading and giving gestures of when a Geek passes by. With Ryan's strong sense of smell, he was able to detect reanimated corpses within a three feet radius. Not much but, it was something.

"Okay, this is the door." Ryan said. Skipper nodded.

Ryan approached the door, only it was opened. Before he realized the door was open, the loud growls and screams were leaving the throats of the undead corpses inside the room.

"GO!" Skipper barked as he pushed Ryan out of the way. Kowalski pulled out his pistol and began firing at the runners. A headshot was quite difficult under the current circumstances.

"In here!" Private yelled as he crashed into a door that he thought was open.

"Stop firing! I'll lead them away!" Ryan yelled as Kowalski put the pistol back into his holster.

"Hey! Over here! You hungry? Come and get it!" Ryan yelled as he ran in the other direction. Thankfully the six landed in a dark corner, undetectable.

"Get this door open!" Private yelled.

"Move!" Skipper barked as he slammed right into the door. He tried again and the door flew open. He landed hard on the cold floor. Unfortunately, there were two Geek waiting inside.

"Skippah!" Private cried out.

The Geek jumped but was ended by lead entering its brain. Kowalski quickly took out the other one.

"Skipper!" Marlene called, both her and Private ran to the leader. Skipper let out a groan as he picked himself up.

Rico got Ray to lay down on a couch whilst Kowalski shut the door.

"And Ryan?" Ray inquired.

"I don't know, he ran off in the other direction." Kowalski answered.

"And you let him?!" Skipper yelled.

"Well, what the hell did you want me to do?! Pull him back saying, 'No! Come die with us!'" Kowalski barked.

"Don't raise your voice with me sold-!" Skipper was cut off by a door opening.

Rico and Kowalski reacted quickly and pointed their guns at the door that had clawed marks on it. The door opened slowly. Revealing... a little girl.

* * *

><p><strong>This is where the chapter ended. Like I said, hope the others come in soon. See you in the next one!<strong>

**Well, do you trust Ryan? **

****Again, Thank You to Sweetpanda12, SkullDestroyer, TheSkySpiritsTalentShow, mikadaphne28, and JustAnotherLoneWolf for suggesting their OCs for this story. **Much thank you! Such wow!******


	16. The Calm Before: Part Three

"Как она?" Raymond inquired.

"Она правильно, это просто…" Tanya choked up.

"Эй, приезжайте сюда." Raymond said. He made room for her in his chair.

She walked over to him, passing by the campfire. Though, this wasn't really camp. She sat down and rested her head on his chest.

"What did Icy tell you?" Raymond asked as he put his arm around her.

"She's fine. She doesn't have what ever is going around." Tanya stated.

"Well… why does that make you sad?" Erik inquired with one brow pointing upwards.

"She lost her entire family."

Erik's face turned from a confused look to a long face. "Oh.." he said as his eyes met the ground.

"Oh, my. How is she taking it?" Naomi inquired as she moved closer to Kyle.

"I'm pretty sure she was devastated. She must of lost them during the early days of the outbreak." Tanya answered.

"And, as she eaten anything?" Kyle inquired.

"Not in awhile. She's getting something from Icy." Tanya paused.

"What? Why did you pause?" Raymond looked down at her.

Tanya lifted her head to look around. She could probably say it.

"What are you doing?" Kelsi inquired.

Tanya leaned to the middle of the group. She gave the gesture that signified 'Come closer'. The animals moved in closer to her.

"Icy told me…" Tanya trailed off.

"Spit it out woman." Kyle said impatiently.

"Kyle." Naomi gave him a look.

"What? The suspense is killing me." he said.

"We're," Tanya continued. "running out of food." she announced.

"What?!" Erik yelled aloud.

"Shh!" Tanya put her finger on her lips.

"What?!" Erik whispered.

"Icy informed me just now. Turns out, we're not the only ones."

"What do-" Mia stopped as soon as an animal passed by them. She turned to make sure the person was gone. She then leaned in to the group's center. "What do you mean we're not the only ones? This thing is only hitting Georgia and New York, right?" Mia questioned.

"I guess not. This thing has popped out in cities and towns across the entire East Coast." she said emptily.

"Jesus Christ, really?" Kyle inquired, not wanting to believe what he had heard.

"No, why would I kid about this?" she asked.

"I don't know. You're morbid?" Kyle's voice started to get higher in pitch.

"Are you sure? One hundred percent?" Ray inquired.

"Why do you guys keep on asking? She meant what she said. I just hope Icy didn't." Naomi interrupted.

"Maybe he heard wrong. I mean, the guy is under a shit load of stress, right?" Erik suggested, turning to Kelsi.

"We're all under stress, Erik. With this news, I think I'm just going to loose it here." she said as she hugged the fruit bat.

"I think we've all lost it. I mean, reanimated corpses? Is that even be biologically correct?" Mia inquired.

"You tell me. It's only a matter of time 'till they figure something out." Kyle said.

"See? Kyle is feeling optimistic. I think we should be feeling hopeful too." Ray stated.

"Oh, no. With food running out, New York falling, we're all are just going to die a horrible death. But, hey, that's how it is in video games and stuff. I may be wrong." Kyle said coldly.

"Which you are." Tanya said.

The second she finished her sentence, a tall penguin walked up to their group. He came with a gun in his holster.

"Hey, I was just going around the refugee center, telling people about a 'Plan B' if this all goes south." the penguin said.

"What?" Kyle spoke out before anyone else.

"I'm sorry, but, who are you…?" Erik inquired, raising a brow.

"I'm sorry to attack you with this. I have a cabin, just a few miles from here. If this place falls, I could always direct you people to my 'camp'" he raised his flippers and quoted the word 'camp'.

The others looked at each other, confused and startled. Where the hell did this guy come from?

"Umm," Erik started, "sure, man. I guess." Erik spoke. Tanya gave his a look.

"Great, so that makes three." he said.

"Three? But… there's nine of us, counting two other people with us." Raymond said.

"Three groups. Three other penguins and a two sisters, plus you guys, makes three." he said.

"Well, thanks for the offer." Tanya looked over to Erik. "We'll be there."

"Oh, before I leave, I'm Trent. Glad to meet you all." he said as he walked off.

"Man, that was weird." Erik said.

"Yeah… are we going with him?" Mia inquired.

"Of course… not." Tanya trailed off.

"We have no where to go if this place heads south, and it is heading south." Kyle said.

"Well, we don't even know if it's legit though." Kelsi said.

"Well, two other groups are going. If this is all just sick joke, we could take him down. Or… something." Kyle trailed off.

"What makes you think he would ask us? We clearly out number him." Raymond inquired.

"I don't know. I guess we're gonna have to find out ourselves." Kyle said.

"I don't know about this. What if he-" Naomi was cut off by Kyle.

"Do have a better idea for a safe house? The woods sound pretty safe to me. Doesn't it sound safe?" Kyle asked her.

"I don't know, maybe?" her Japanese accent crept out.

"Did you just pull a Japan? I think she just did a Japan." Kyle chuckled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You must have mistaken me for another wolf." she turned her head away from him.

"Nope, because the beautiful wolf that I fell in love with always pulls her Japanese accent from time to time." he said as he placed his paw on hers. She turned and gave him a kiss.

"Gross, not in front of us you guys." Kelsi mocked.

"C'mon, we all know you and Erik make out right in front of us most of the time."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." she turns to the fruit bat. He quickly stopped her.

"Let me just finish my beer first." Erik said before he started chugging the bottle.

"Again with the alcohol?" Tanya said, annoyed.

"Under aged drinking maybe?" Raymond gave him a glare.

"What? I'm only three years behind the law. Besides, the world's gone to shit. So, why not?" Erik said as he continued to drain the bottle.

"He rather drink than to kiss me. What a man." Kelsi sighed.

"No, I just didn't want to get any on your lips. Or, fangs." he said as he placed the empty bottle on the grass.

"I doubt that." Raymond said.

"So," Erik hiccuped, "about the penguin guy; are we going?" Erik inquired.

"Well, if there's nothing else to go to, then, yes." Tanya said.

"Good, because I don't want to become zombie food just yet." Kyle insisted, "You just don't know who you'll encounter during this point of time." he finished.

* * *

><p>They kept their guns pointed at her. She stood there frozen. Rico put down his gun and waddled over to the corpses. He began dragging them out of the room. Kowalski kept his stance.<p>

"Kowalski." Marlene said. He lowered his gun.

"Did you kill them?" she asked softly.

Marlene paused. How was she supposed to answer that to a child?

"Umm, they're just very sick, we're just umm.." Skipper couldn't finish.

"We're taking them to go see the doctor. They're going to make them feel much better." Private covered for Skipper.

"Yes! That's what we're doing. We're taking them to go get checked." Skipper ran along with the gag.

The little girl turned to see the long trails of blood leading from the middle of the room to the front door. Skipper quickly walked up to her. He placed his flippers on hers.

"Those people are fine. Don't worry." Skipper tried to smile.

"Honey, do you know where your parents are?" Marlene asked the little sea otter.

She pointed to the corpses that Rico and Kowalski were dragging out. Marlene gasped. Skipper froze. Did they just kill her parents?

Skipper turned her head towards him. "Are you sure?" Skipper asked.

She nodded. What did they just do?

* * *

><p><strong>I know that this chapter is a little too short, but, that's how it came in through the Interwebs. :**

**The next one should be up when I come back. America, here I come!**

**Do you think that Trent's 'camp' is legit? How will the guys get out of this town, overrun by the dead? Hell, I don't expect me to tell you. Mwahaha...**

* * *

><p><strong>TRANSLATIONS. TRANSLATIONS, TRANSLATIONS, TRANSLATIONS.<strong>

** Как она: How is she?**

**Она все в порядке, это только: She's alright, its just...**

**Эй, приезжайте сюдa: Hey, come here.**

* * *

><p><strong>The review system is back on! Whew. BOTS, GET TO IT. These things just keep disappear at night. <strong>


	17. The Calm Before: Finale

**I'M BAAAAACK! Wait, I'm back. Oh, my God, I'm back. RUN! RUN WHILE YOU CAN STILL SAVE YOURSELVES. Oh, yeah, I Twitter now. If that link doesn't work (which I doubt it will), I'm at 890X001. Some other twat took 890X. Fuck that guy. JOIN ME AND WE'LL TAKE OVER THIS WORTHLESS PLANET! I like to make weird and stupid hashtags that don't even exist. #Tablecloth. And, I'm doing this thing were I'll be watching movies and tweeting through the movie. The first movie was "The Happening" and, it did great! I can't wait to do more! Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is on next Thursday! #Salad**

* * *

><p>They kept their guns pointed at her. She stood there frozen. Rico put down his gun and waddled over to the corpses. He began dragging them out of the room. Kowalski kept his stance.<p>

"Kowalski." Marlene said. He lowered his gun.

"Did you kill them?" she asked softly.

Marlene paused. How was she supposed to answer that to a child?

"Umm, they're just very sick, we're just umm.." Skipper couldn't finish.

"We're taking them to go see the doctor. They're going to make them feel better." Private covered for Skipper.

"Yes! That's what we're doing. We're taking them to go get checked." Skipper ran along with the gag.

The little girl turned to see the long trails of blood leading from the middle of the room to the front door. Skipper quickly walked up to her. He placed his flippers on hers.

"Those people are fine. Don't worry." Skipper tried to smile.

"Honey, do you know where your parents are?" Marlene asked the little sea otter.

She pointed to the corpses that Rico and Kowalski were dragging out. Marlene gasped. Skipper froze. Did they just kill her parents?

Skipper turned her head towards him. "Are you sure?" Skipper asked.

She nodded. What did they just do?

Rico dragged the corpse to the end of the hallway. The body fell with the thump; the sounds of low growls were heard in another hallway. There has be other runners other than the ones Ryan chased away. Ryan; where is he? With the thought of runners roaming the hallways, he rushed back to the suite.

"They're dead. I know they are." the small otter insisted.

The gang looked at each other.

"Why are so calm about this. Usually, kids go crazy if their parents even left the house for five minutes." Skipper wondered.

"Because, my dad had whatever it is. A cut?" she said lowly.

Skipper's eyes met hers. This kid doesn't know what's really going on outside right? Or… does she?

"I- We, don't really know either. So, your dad was sick?" Skipper inquired.

"Yes," she nodded, "I was in school when people started running and yelling. My teacher told us to go to the hallways and make our way to the gym." she said.

Rico waddled through the door, shutting it behind him.

"They told us that we were going to be safe there, only, we weren't. After ten minutes, they told us that we were going to be released early. My dad usually picks me up from school so I was surprised when my mom came. My mom picked me up and we made our way to my dad's work." she continued.

"We drove passed a lot of people who needed help. I remember smelling blood. Just blood and rotten meat. I thought it was a storm, but it wasn't raining. When we got to my dad's I saw people jumping on one another, and biting them. It was really scary.

My dad came out of the building, covered in blood. He showed us his arm, I looked like he was bit." he eyes met the ground.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us anymore." Private insisted.

She shook her head, fighting back the tears. She ran up and embraced the leader. "Oof!" Skipper let out.

"I'm sorry." she cried.

"Oh my, gosh." Marlene said as she began to tear up.

Skipper was hesitant at first, but with a child that had lost both parents, he had to do it.

"It's okay. You're going to be fine. We're going to be just… fine." Skipper said as he hugged the little otter back.

He had to think about that. He knows he's their leader; he has to be strong and loyal. But, this? Are they prepared for all of this? People are going to die and they can't do anything about it. He can't just… It's difficult. These decisions; the actions; the thoughts. On the outside, he's a leader; a 'hero'. In the inside, there's all these thoughts and emotions that scare him half to death. It's just them against an entire state full of those things.

'I wonder how other people are doing during this thing.' he thought to himself.

"My dad worked for the CDC. We were going to go there before he…" she chocked on her words.

"Wait, your father works for the CDC?" Kowalski jumped.

"Yes," the otter replied, "he kept a green card in his pocket; said it was for work. He told us to use it to get out of here when the military came here to pick us up. But, when we got here, his skin turned pale, my mom told me to lock the door and not to open it for anything… not even her." her eyes focused on her door, covered in claw marks.

"She told me to be strong. So, I locked my door, and I heard my dad… attacking her. I heard screaming and things breaking. That's when I heard something scratching at my door. I was stupid enough to look in the little opening. There, I saw my mom scratching at my door, while my dad was tearing into her back…" she tried to continued.

"You don't have to say anymore." Ray said.

She shook her head. "I was watching my mom being eaten by my dad; and she tried to…" tears started running down her face, "I watched her die. I watched her until she stopped moving. I was frozen and I couldn't do anything!" she yelled.

Private waddled up to her and gave her a hug, she was only a few years younger than him. "It's okay, try to think of other things. "We're going to get out of this crazy place, I promise." Private said. With that, she returned the hug.

"So, the CDC?" Kowalski inquired.

"Yes, we were supposed to fly to Fort Benning for investigation. But, since, he's gone, I don't think we can go." the otter said.

"No need to worry, we've got Kowalski, he's a brainiac, he sure as hell can figure out what's happening." Skipper smirked. "When are they getting here?" Skipper inquired.

"Thirty minutes or so." she replied.

"Good, by the way, what's your name, kiddo?"

"It's Charlotte." she replied.

"Well, Charlotte, we're going to Fort Benning." Skipper said, smirking.

* * *

><p>The sounds of fighter jets boomed across the skies. About five or so were heading towards north, towards the city.<p>

"Do you see any?" the female Labrador inquired.

"Not yet." the younger Labrador replied, searching the grass for something, her tail going crazy.

"Um, I'm pretty sure that Fireflies don't live on the ground. They're in plants, trees, not on the grass."

"Then how on earth did I see them on the floor?" she inquired.

"Maybe because they were feeding… I think." the older one answered.

"Ah-ha!" she yelled as she jumped on a patch of grass. Dozens of Fireflies flew into the air. Their tails illuminated, other kids started to run towards the glowing bugs flying around. The Labrador turned to her sister with a grin.

"I knew I would find them." she said, grinning ear to ear.

"Fine, you win this time, Madison." the older sister said.

* * *

><p>"I say we go." Kyle insisted.<p>

"And leave all these people? We can't just do that." Tanya said.

"It's not like they did anything for them. We don't owe these people anything." Eric said.

"Okay, both of you are only thinking for yourselves." Mia said.

"Well, it's these decisions that keep up alive." Kyle said.

"Even if we go now, Icy wouldn't want to leave. He's too busy taking care of the rest." Tanya said.

"We can't leave Icy, we need his medical skills. That's a person that we'll defiantly need in the future.

"I guess you're right." Kyle said.

More fighter jets flew across the sky, each flying lower and lower.

"It's good to see that they're still fighting to keep those reanimated corpses out." Raymond sighed.

"Yet, they don't even try to take us somewhere. I know that they told us to leave the city but, where do we go?" Kelsi said, as her face illuminated.

The ground shook violently as the planes began to drop bombs on the city. The loud explosions were deafening; making it feel like their skeletons were shaking. People held their appendages against their ears to try to block out the loud sounds.

"Holy shit!" Erik yelled.

The skyline was being swallowed by the debris cloud, the rumbling of buildings collapsing and the horrifying sounds of metal twisting and breaking.

The blasts were beginning to die down, but the sounds of screams followed. Unfortunately, runners were drawn to the noises of the explosions reckoning the area, leading them to their refugee camp.

A runner leaped on to its prey; driving its jaws deep into the animal's neck. Blood bathed the two of them.

"Runners!" Raymond yelled as he pulled out his handgun and started firing at the dead.

Fighter jets began to emerge from the trees and began firing at the camp; trying to target the undead.

"The horde has made it's way through. I repeat, the horde has made its way through." the pilot announced.

* * *

><p>Ninety-eight miles away, the Commander sighed.<p>

"Shit. We're too late. Fall back! It's too late." he barked.

"Where are they?" a penguin inquired.

"Atlanta. About one hundred miles from here. We're trying to rescue refugees from highly populated cities. We've had successes, others, not so much."

"So you're just going to leave them there? To die?" the voice of the penguin rising.

"They are already dead." he said.

The penguin paused. "What?" he inquired. The people started to chatter. He looked around, all eyes were on them.

The commander turned around. "Never mind that. The area has been infiltrated. Those people are as good as dead." the commander walked away.

"Mr. McMaster, there has to be another way we can save those people. There has be I mean, you have all these gadgets and everything." a younger penguin said.

"I can't!" he barked, silencing the huge room. "We can't save everybody! I'm no God or a hero. If we go back, the planes will attract them here; and I think you already now what happens when that happens." he paused.

Everyone stared at him. The penguin started to quiver.

"They get out of there, then we'll be moving to a military vessel just outside the coast. We'll be heading towards Antarctica after that; to another science research lab. Maybe we'll be able to figure out what this thing is." he said as he headed towards a door, leading to the dorms.

"Until then, we stay put, and we wait until the cargo planes come and pick us up. I hope you all brought your winter clothes. We're going to be experiencing temperatures in the negative." he said as he left the building.

"Get back here!" the flat headed penguin yelled.

The commander stopped in his tracks.

"Sir, I really think you should." a person spoke.

His ears stood up, as he turned. "What is it?" he inquired.

"There's a wave of them coming this way, they are coming in from the north."

"But, I thought we already checked on the north."

"We did."

"AND?!" he barked.

The scientist stood there; frozen.

"Daniels, pull up the map." the penguin commanded.

A scientist pressed a few buttons and the front monitor showed a live image map of the area. "That's where we are." Daniels said.

"Are we now?" McMaster said annoyed.

"We've checked the perimeter, and we haven't seen any activity, Sir." Daniels said.

"If they're heading from the north, then… Daniels, what's in the north?" the penguin inquired.

He zoomed out of the frame, only to find little dots moving across the map.

"Stop." McMaster said. "That's the horde we found earlier, right?"

"Correct."

"Well, what's this talk of another horde?" he inquired. The scientist moved the map, heading north. There the images of another storm brewing, heading towards them.

"There's another fucking wave?" McMaster shuddered.

"Apparently, so." Daniels said.

"When's it hitting?" the penguin said.

"It could be about four hours or less." Daniels said. The room went quiet.

"You see what I mean, Skipper? we can't save everybody." McMaster said coldly. Skipper glared at him, wanting to punch him in the face.

* * *

><p>"Eric!" Kelsi yelled as the fruit bat pulled the trigger, causing the reanimated corpse to plummet to the asphalt.<p>

"Kelsi!" he called as he ran up towards her. "Are you alright?" he inquired.

She nodded her head as she kissed him. "Don't leave me again." she said. He nodded.

"Kyle! Over here!" Erik called as the wolf drove his knife into the carcass's head.

"Naomi." he called. He grabbed her paw and they ran towards Erik's vehicle.

"Hey," Trent yelled, "over here! Follow me!" he yelled as he climbed into his car.

"Buckle in, we're leaving." the older Labrador said, shoving her sister into the car.

"Are we going to follow Trent?" Madison inquired, fastening her seat belt.

"I guess so." she said, shutting the door. She ran across to the driver's seat. A runner ran up to her but was stopped when she drove her knife into the runner's eye. Its juices bursting and flowing out of the socket.

"Argh, fucking gross." she gagged. She climbed inside and started the engine.

"Icy?!" Tanya yelled. Running towards the tent.

"Tanya?" Icy called, firing lead into a runner's head.

"Come with us, please." she said.

Icy turned to check if Molly was behind him. "Okay, let's go!" he yelled.

"Get in! Raymond yelled, shooting runners in the head.

Tanya climbed inside the car and started the engine. The other two climbed inside.

"Raymond!" she called.

He stopped firing and climbed inside. "Where too?" he asked.

Trent started his car and began driving, two cars following.

"Trent's place I guess. Are they in Erik's car?" Tanya inquired.

Raymond looked behind him. He witnessed as Mia climbed inside Erik's car, along with his girlfriend and the two canines. "Yes." he said.

"Good." Tanya said as he stepped on the gas pedal, following the three cars, Erik's vehicle following behind as they left the carnage behind them.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**End of episode four.**

**In Memoriam:**

**Countless runners**

**Civilians at refugee camp**

**Next episode: Siege**

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it. Next episode is going to have a lot of character deaths, so, prepare... If you remember from the first chapter with the graves, then, you might know how many die. 'Till next time.<strong>


	18. Siege: Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own the Penguins of Madagascar.

**Last time, on The Dead: The gang found themselves running through hallway after hallway in an abandoned condo in New Jersey. After loosing Ryan in all the commotion, they find an innocent little girl, hiding in her room. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles south of them, a refugee camp gets overrun by the undead. The survivors of the massacre follow a mysterious penguin who claims to have a safe haven just a few miles down the road. Back in the condo, after discussing with Charlotte, the orphaned little girl, the penguins decide to head to Fort Benning.**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The alley echoed the gunshots of guns. The sounds of bullet shells hitting the floor. The shouts of people giving commands. Explosions engulfing entire buildings, leaving only rubble and smoke.

A penguin ran down an alley. Others following behind. A red husky, a fruit bat, a white wolf, an otter, and an emperor penguin ran with the penguin down the corridor, each carrying heavy machinery. This was one group of many, invading the fortified factory.

One carried an M4A1 assault riffle, another carried an HK-51. The penguin stopped at the end of the corridor, hiding so they didn't see him or his team. The rest laid their backs on the brick wall, awaiting command from the penguin.

"Are they there, Private?" the red husky inquired.

The penguin waited patiently. The first sight of life he witnessed, he grabbed his magazine and placed it into the pouch of the his M14. He hit it until it clicked.

He turned to his team. "We're not leaving, until every last one of them is dead." Private said coldly.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Dead<em>**

**_Season One_**

**Siege**

Private waddled to the dresser. He looked around for anything useful. Wire, matches, or maybe even a knife. But, who the heck keeps a knife in their dresser.

Charlotte walked inside, seeing Private looking at her parent's dresser.

"Um, looking for something?" she inquired.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have asked. I didn't mean to be rude." Private said, backing away from the wooden dresser.

"It's okay, it doesn't bother me. Although, it should, considering you're a stranger snooping in my parent's bedroom." Charlotte said.

"Oh, well, when you put it that way.." Private said.

"I'm kidding, what do you need?" Charlotte asked, walking towards the young penguin.

"Some supplies we could use in the future. You know, some medicine, a weapon, anything, really." Private said, continuing to look around.

"Hmm, well I think my dad left a gun in his drawer. That's why they never let me near this thing." Charlotte said, opening a drawer filled with clothes.

"Really? Is it a Glock?" Private inquired.

"A what?" Charlotte inquired while she pulled the handgun out of the drawer, hidden underneath the clothes.

"A Glock. Here, let me show you." Private said, taking the gun from the otter.

"It's heavy." the otter complained.

"Yeah, but, you get used to it after a while. I know that they're light, but, were just young. It'll grown on us." Private said as he inspected the handgun.

"So, is it a clock?" Charlotte inquired.

"I said, Glock silly. But, yeah, that's a Glock alright. A Glock 42, to be exact." Private said.

"There's different ones?" the otter asked.

"Yep, a whole bunch of them. I carry mine in my holster. It's a Smith and Wesson M and P nine. You wanna see it?" Private said, eagerly.

"Um, no thanks. I'm not saying that to be rude, I'm just not allowed to play with guns. Why do you have one anyways?" Charlotte inquired.

"I'm a cop." Private boasted.

"Aren't you too young for that?" the otter inquired.

"Maybe, but it's better than doing nothing all day." Private answered.

"What about school?" Charlotte inquired.

"Who needs school when I got Kowalski? Or, that's what Kowalski said." Private said, giving the gun back to the otter. "You should really save that. You'll never know when you'll need it." Private smiled.

"Umm. I can't use one, remember. Besides, I don't know how to shoot one." Charlotte shrugged.

"I can show you. Here," Private said, waddling closer to the young otter.

"Private, please, I rather not," Charlotte said. "you should keep it though." Charlotte said.

"Okay, but as time passes, you'll be wanting to learn how." Private said as he grabbed the Glock from her paws. He turned the gun around and made sure the safety was on. He placed the gun in his belt. "So, anything else?" Private inquired.

Kowalski walked around the living room. He placed his flipper under his chin, thinking.

"She seemed to be telling the truth to me." Marlene said.

"Yeah, but is she?" Skipper inquired.

"Why are we even talking about this? We just busted in here and shot both of her parents in the head. Now we're here questioning whether or not she's lying about Fort Benning or the CDC? I know I'm an asshole, but that's just dick." Ray said, crossing his arms.

"Have we even frisked the bodies?" Skipper asked.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you today? First, you brutally beat a guy to death, then you wouldn't listen to us when we were driving on the highway back in Clifton, now you want us to search dead bodies? Jesus!" Ray yelled.

"Do you think I asked for any of this?! Do you think I asked to kill a team member?! The East Coast has gone to shit, and you're here asking what's wrong with me? The dead has been resurrected, buddy. Everyone's not acting normally, in case you haven't noticed." Skipper snapped. Ray glared at him

"Skipper?" Kowalski called.

"I don't see why you're complaining, you're not in any position to complain. All you have to do is just sit on your ass. You're lucky I didn't leave you behind when your leg was fucked up." Skipper said coldly.

"That's enough!" Kowalski barked. "Ray is right. You're not acting like yourself. I don't know what's wrong with you, but you need to keep you head straight. You're giving everyone a bad time." Kowalski ordered.

"The entire East Coast is having a bad time, Kowalski. Now, step down or else I'll bust your beak." Skipper ordered sternly.

Kowalski glared at him as he walked away from his commander. He's losing it.

Skipper turned around and waddled towards the door. He turned the doorknob, opening it. He scanned the corridor, not seeing anything, he quickly rushed towards the end of the hallway.

He ended up next to the corpses. He crouched and placed his flipper on the male otter's pockets. He felt around for any sign of items inside. Nothing. He moved his flipper to the right pocket, where he felt a piece of something. It felt rectangular. He reached inside and pulled the item out.

He held it in front of his face, but couldn't read it. He turned around, scanning for any signs of life. Or, the opposite, really. He got up and rushed back towards the room.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "So?" Marlene inquired. Skipper held the card up.

"What is that?" Ray inquired.

Skipper looked at the plastic card. The top said, "CDC Researcher," at the bottom, the guys' name with a photograph next to it.

"It's an ID card for the CDC. Frankly, she's telling the truth." Skipper said.

"Yeah, no shit." Ray said. Skipper glared at him.

"What is that, Skippah?" Private broke out.

"It's Charlotte's dad's CDC ID card. Looks like we're going. Hopefully. Where do we go from here? I know that's asking a lot." Skipper asked the young otter.

"There's a refugee camp not far from here. They'll be there in a few. I think we should leave now. I am going with you right?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course you're coming with us. We're not just going to leaving you behind in this hellhole. Not talking about your home." Skipper said.

"I know." the young otter said.

"You have everything packed?" Skipper inquired.

"Not yet, I wanted to take the radio, just incase we might miss something." Charlotte said as she walked towards the radio that was placed next to the T.V.

"Alright then, are all ready?" Skipper asked his group, everyone grabbed what ever wasn't left behind during the chase. "Then, let's move." Skipper said.

The flat-head penguin opened the door slowly. He poked his head out, scanning the dark corridor. No signed of the undead seemed to be noticed. He opened the door wider. Still nothing.

"Okay, it seems like the coast is clear. We move quietly and in an orderly fashion. We get messy, we get killed. So, no pressure." Skipper ordered.

"What about Ryan?" Ray inquired, hopping on one leg.

"He's either running somewhere out there, or he's dead. I'm just hanging on the running part." Skipper said.

"Hopefully." Private quivered.

Skipper searched the corridor. No sight of anything. "Okay, go, go, go, go, go!" Skipper whispered sharply. Skipper commanded as he rushed out of the living room and into the dark corridor, Rico followed behind, Kowalski waddled out next.

Skipper ran towards the end of the hallway, once in a while he'll look back to check on everyone. He came to a stop when he reached the end of the hallway.

He held his pistol close to him, his revolver was empty, so he couldn't use that.

The rest of the group followed behind. Charlotte was shacking like a leaf. "You're doing fine. We're going to make it out of here in one piece." Private comforted her. That seemed to slightly work..

"Do you see any there, Skipper?" Kowalski whispered.

Skipper poked his head out, but quickly turned back. Runners had infested the corridor. There were about twenty roaming the hallway. "There's a lot of them roaming. Should we turn back?" Skipper inquired.

"I'd say yes." Ray answered.

"Fine, head back." Skipper whispered, waddling back to square one.

They reached Charlotte's home and took a right, to the other hallway. Sadly, passing Charlotte's dead parents. Private quickly shielded her eyes. "Don't look." Private whispered.

Skipper took a left but, was greeted by about thirty runners, or, roamers as they thought of it. They turned and hissed at the sight of him, as they began to run towards him.

"Go back! Go back!" Skipper yelled as he pulled the trigger, shooting lead into a runner's skull.

"Charlotte, stay close to me!" Private yelled, grabbing her paw.

Rico ran in a different direction, Kowalski and Ray followed. Skipper kept firing at the incoming runners, trying to keep them at bay. Private and Charlotte ran with Marlene to catch up with the three.

"Skippah!" Private called.

"Go! I'm still here! Keep moving!" Skipper barked.

Rico stopped nearly halfway through the corridor. Kowalski ran up to him. "What?" Kowalski asked the penguin. He noticed that he was looking at something, so he followed where his eyes were pointing. He too was shocked.

In front of them was an eaten carcass. A canine. "That's Ryan." Ray said.

The sounds of yelling brought them back. "C'mon, we're almost there!" Kowalski yelled. Skipper was to close to the running carcasses. Marlene ran back and grabbed him by the flipper.

"Hurry up!" she yelled at him.

"Up ahead, it's the staircase!" Kowalski yelled.

Rico was first to reach the staircase, he hurried down the flight of stairs, careful not to miss a step. Kowalski had to be extremely careful not to rush down too fast, otherwise, both him and Ray would come crashing down. He couldn't go too fast either, or else, the others behind him would be torn to shreds.

Private turned around to fire at the horde of zombies. His gun clicked after his fifth shot. Luckily, they were already at the cold, metallic stairs.

Skipper and Marlene were the last ones. Skipper would stop to shoot, but Marlene would pull him back. As they reached half way down the stairs, the reanimated carcasses began throwing themselves over the railing and come crashing into the hard floor.

Their bodies would explode when they came in contact with the tiled floor. Blood, guts, and appendages flew everywhere. Bathing everything in blood.

The group made it out of the condo but was met by someone.

"Get down!" the male commanded. They didn't hesitate or even stopped to think who the person was. But, their thoughts were unreadable as soon as the sounds of guns blasting in their ears came bursting.

The runners fell in pieces. Their bodies were turn to unrecognizable chunks of meat. Blood spewed everywhere, coating the lobby with the tainted blood.

The firing came to a stop after about a minute or so. Skipper opened his eyes. He turned around to see a giant pool of darkened blood and organs. They were turned to mush.

"Hello there," the man spoke up. Skipper and the others looked up to see a rottweiler standing before them. "we're looking for a Charlotte Peters?" the rottweiler said.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm going to have to end it there. I think you know where this is going... and if you don't, then, you're going to have to wait 'till the next one. :P Thanks for leaving a review about salad. I'll see you guys next time! Also, THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 5 TRAILER IS OUT. :D<strong>


	19. Siege: Part Two

**Sorry for the lack of updates, every time I tried to update, the chapter looked like fucking hurricane plowed through. I finally got it to work, though! So, this chapter has new characters. A lot to be exact. Next chapter is when serious shit hits the fan. So it's like, shit hits the fan and clogs up, and then the fan explodes and shit and fan flies into your face and gouge your eyes out and you die... So, prepare.**

**Warning: It gets a bit sensitive towards the end. **

* * *

><p>The rottweiler stood there, waiting for an answer. His ears stood up, as if he was excited for something. He crossed his arms. "Earth to fucking, penguins. Is anyone ever going to fucking talk?" he inquired.<p>

"You're the officer coming for the scientist, right?" Private inquired.

"Officer? I'm the fucking commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence in Fort Benning, Georgia. I was informed that a certain someone knew of a way to stop this thing," he looked around. "is he here as of now?" he inquired.

Skipper looked at Charlotte, she stared back at him. He turned back to the commander. "Define, "is here"." Skipper said.

"Right now, as in right fucking now." the rottweiler's voice was climbing.

"Oh, now! Oh, then if you can somehow revive him, he's lying, dead in a corridor, somewhat up a few levels." Skipper turned and pointed at the building behind him.

The rottweiler let out a sigh. He placed his face on his paw. I looked like he was doing some sort of "facepalm". He looked at Skipper, giving him a tired look.

"You've got to be kidding me." he said.

"Apparently not. He was bit at his office, somewhere. He died later from the bite, which I think we both know, happens." Skipper said.

The rottweiler looked around. Buildings were burnt to their cores. There were corpses lying everywhere. The irony smell of blood filled the plague air. He looked at these animals. They seemed to not be doing so well. If he let them here, they defiantly wouldn't make it by themselves.

"Well, with no scientist-"

"Kowalski's a scientist." Skipper interrupted.

The rottweiler blinked at him. "Who?" he inquired.

"The tall one" a German Shepherd spoke.

Skipper turned around. His beak dropped. "Ryan?" Skipper inquired.

"We thought you were dead." Kowalski said.

"Sadly, I get that a lot, and even more depressing, I'm pretty sure people hoped I was." Ryan said. He was now focused on the M1035A2 full of people, staring at them coldly. "Um, what's with the vehicle filled with evil-looking people?" Ryan inquired.

Skipper looked passed the Rottweiler. "Is that the vehicle we're all going to cram into?" Kowalski inquired.

"Uh, yeah. Why? Have a problem being rescued?" the Rottweiler raised his paws at the word "rescued".

"Why did you put quotations on the word "rescued"?" Ray inquired.

"Well, because, you're not really saved. You're still living through this Hell, aren't you?" the Rottweiler said as he began to walk towards the vehicle filled with random people. Some looked traumatized. Others were covered in blood.

"Just because we take you somewhere other than New Jersey, doesn't mean that you're safe." the Rottweiler opened his door. He looked up at the group. They were all staring at him.

"What do you mean, we're not safe if we move out of this state? It is hitting the North East only, right?" Skipper inquired, raising a brow.

The Rottweiler sighed. "It would be easier if you all would just get in the damn truck. It would also be easier to just leave your asses behind." the canine said coldly.

Skipper glared at him. "You would leave an innocent little kid behind?" Skipper inquired.

"Buddy, this world is cruel. This thing doesn't give a shit whether you're a boy or a girl. What this thing wants is blood, and we're all filled to the brim with it, in case you haven't noticed. Now, get inside, before another horde blows through here." the Rottweiler said as he climbed inside the vehicle.

Skipper didn't trust this man, even though he is with Fort Benning, all he was doing was spitting venom at them. He turned to his team.

"Well, it beats having to battle through another wave of them," Kowalski said, "besides, we need to get to Fort Benning, we could cure this thing." Kowalski stated.

Skipper nodded. "Well, you heard the man, let's go." Skipper ordered.

* * *

><p>The first car arrived, parking next to the wooden building. Other vehicles followed. Trent climbed out.<p>

The other vehicles pulled up a few yards away. He ran up to them, checking on whether who did or didn't make it.

Erik climbed out of his car and stepped foot on the field of the green grass. He made his way towards Kelsi's side.

He opened the door for her, "Are you alright? No bites right?" he inquired, giving her a hug.

"No, I'm fine, I don't know about the rest of us." she replied.

"Where are we?" Kyle inquired.

"About fifty-six miles from Atlanta, we should be safe here." Trent answered.

"Let's just hope another group of Geek don't plow through us." the older sister said.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Erik inquired.

"I'm Andrea, this is my little sister, Madison." the young Labrador shyly walked up.

Erik turned to his left, there was another group climbing out of their vehicle.

"What about you girls?" Erik inquired.

The female penguin spoke up, "My name is Krystal, these are my sisters, Piper and Nuka. We were told that this was where we were supposed to meet." Krystal answered.

"Why not tell us who you guys are?" Andrea suggested, crossing her arms.

Kyle looked at her. Well, she's going to be the bossy one, huh? "My name is Kyle, this is my girlfriend, Naomi. The fruit bat over there is Erik, and his mate, Kelsi," the bats stood there in all the awkwardness.

"The three lemurs standing over there from left to right are, Raymond, Tanya, and Mia. The puffin is Icy, and the Golden Retriever is Molly." Kyle finished.

"So there's fifteen of us?" Trent counted.

"It looks like it." Tanya answered, looking around the area.

"Okay, we can make do with fifteen, I'm going to go inside, find us something to eat," Trent said, placing his flipper under his beak.

"I should come with you, we don't know whether or not that the building is crawling with Geek." Raymond walked up.

"I don't see why I should say no, it's good to have someone looking behind you." Trent said, looking up at the lemur. Raymond was a bit taller than the penguin, come to think of it, he seemed to be taller than everyone, besides, Andrea.

"Any one else?" Trent asked the group.

"I should head in there too, there could be medicine for Molly." Icy said.

"Alrighty then, that's everyone?" Trent inquired. No one else volunteered. "Okay, let's head inside." the penguin said.

"Icy, here," Erik tossed his handgun to the puffin. "Mine's more accurate." the fruit bat said. Icy nodded.

"If you see anything, holler, we'll come running." Kyle said.

Raymond nodded. "So, shall we?" he said before they carefully walked inside.

* * *

><p>They drove past many towns that were left bloodied and abandoned. Many bodies were left piled up in the streets. Bullet holes coated each and everyone of them. They were left there to rot. Slowly decomposing until nothing but nutrients were left.<p>

Who's to clean up this mess? How are they going to get past this? There's too many casualties to count. There were literally bodies everywhere. There is not a single spot covered by blood. Bullet shells were also present. They were on the list of things that you will always see around you. Right next to bodies and blood.

"If we get past this, how the hell are we going to clean up, you know, the fatalities?" Skipper asked the Rottweiler.

"We'll get passed this, we've done it before," he answered.

"How far are we from a cure?" Kowalski inquired.

"Pretty far," the canine answered.

"What's your name?" Private inquired.

The Rottweiler looked back. "Herbert Raymond McMaster, just call me McMaster." he turned back.

"So, McMaster, do you have a "Master" plan for this thing?" Ryan inquired, trying not to chuckle.

"You know, that's not to first time I've heard that joke," he chuckled, "We had something planned for something like this. We'd have these arguments over whether or not to take the time to plan for this. The scientists would always convince us not to, those damn animals with their science talk. I mean, fucking use English for fuck's sakes." McMaster said.

"It is English, you just haven't studied it," Kowalski said.

"Kowalski." Skipper called, giving the strategist a look.

"No, I haven't, which is why I tell them to dumb down their language for me.

"I can see that." Kowalski finished. Skipper was still shooting arrows at him.

"So, are we just going to drive to Georgia?" Charlotte inquired.

"You know, I don't think I've ever been to Georgia. I heard that they have these amazing forests and orchards." Marlene said.

"They don't call it the "Peach State" for nothing. But, this is not a vacation. What you'll be seeing, are the forests of concrete and steel next to the orchards of iron and heavy machinery." McMaster said.

Marlene sighed. "Although that does sound very, ahem, exciting, how are we going to get there?" Charlotte asked again.

"Ever been in a plane?" McMaster asked the young otter.

"Umm, not that I know of." her face seemed to illuminate.

"Well, there you have it, we're taking a plane to Georgia, only, not a commercial bird, you're going to be taking the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy." the Rottweiler smiled.

"Umm, what's that?" she had to ask.

* * *

><p>The gigantic bird boomed as it approached the shaking group.<p>

"OH, THAT." Charlotte yelled, with her jaw dropping to the asphalt.

"THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS THE LOCKHEED C-FIVE GALAXY," McMaster had to yell over the roaring of the enormous engines that this plane had, "ISN'T SHE A BEAUT?!" he yelled.

"SHE'S… BIG!" Skipper yelled.

"WELL, SHE'S THE BEST THING TO LOOK AT HERE IN FORT DIX!" McMaster yelled, staring at the titanic metal bird.

The nose of the plane began to rise, showing the insides of the plane. Inside were people already inhabiting the plane. Seems like they had to drag the nearest plane to New Jersey.

"WELL? CLIMB IN!" McMaster yelled.

* * *

><p>Raymond looked around the room, it didn't seem to have any sort of undead life inside. "Clear!" he whispered sharply.<p>

"Clear!" the puffin's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Crap!" Trent yelled.

"Trent?" Raymond called.

Icy waddled up next to Raymond's door. Raymond lifted his gun quickly, ready to fire, fortunately, he didn't. "Jesus, man!" Icy sighed, putting his flipper on his chest, he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Sorry, muscle instinct." Raymond apologized.

"We should check out what Trent's yelling about." Icy said.

"Let's." Raymond replied.

* * *

><p>"It's going to be a good three hours to get to Fort Benning, so, please just, sit down, relax, and take your mind off the fact that we're traveling above hostile land full of Geek. So, yeah, see you guys in three hours I suppose." McMaster said, walking towards the cockpit.<p>

There were dozens of people seated around our group. Many were scared out of their wits, some were covered in blood, possibly from witnessing or killing zombies.

"So, what now?" Private inquired.

"We wait, what's left to do anyways? We're in a plane." Skipper replied.

"A Lockheed C-Five Galaxy to be exact." Ray said.

"Whatever," Skipper said, "we just wait 'til we get to Georgia, then we can discuss what to do. Until then, we keep Kowalski alive." Skipper turned to the strategist.

"Who, me?" he inquired.

"Yes, you." Charlotte answered.

"You know, this might be the first time that an invention won't be exploding in our faces," Skipper said.

"Well, thanks, Skipper." Kowalski smiled.

"They will be exploding at the other guys' faces." Skipper chuckled.

"Well, there goes all my hopes. Gone! Out the window!" Kowalski yelled.

"Don't be such a Drama Queen, Kowalski." Skipper said.

"It's okay, Kowalski, I don't think your inventions will blow up in the other scientist's faces," Private said, patting the scientist's back.

"Really?" Kowalski's voice was high-pitched.

"Yeah, 'cause they will be blowing up in _your_ face." Ryan said.

"Ha! Ha! Very funny, guys!" Kowalski said. "Damn you all." he whispered to himself.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Raymond yelled across the room where Trent was in.<p>

The penguin turned with sadness and distraught in his face. "Some assholes busted inhere and stole all of our food supply!" Trent yelled.

"WHAT?!" Raymond yelled.

"I really hope that they're okay." Icy said.

"What? They fucking stole from us, Icy. Why the hell are you taking their side?" Raymond questioned the puffin.

"Well, for starters, we're not the only ones who are dealing with this mess! Second of all, these people could of have a larger group, maybe we can track them down, and join in. We need the numbers in this point of time." Icy shot back.

"So, we team up with thieves? Icy, where the hell are you?" Raymond inquired.

"No, he's right. This is a sign that we're not alone here. There could be a bigger group somewhere out here that could help us." Trent said.

"Okay, then… where is this group?" Raymond pondered.

"RAYMOND!" Tanya scream was heard throughout the building.

"I think that was Tanya." Icy said.

"Tanya? TANYA?!" Raymond called.

"Raymond, wait!" Icy called.

The brown lemur ran through the corridor, leading to the lobby. He carried his Glock next to him, it made him lethal. Icy and Trent quickly followed behind.

The lemur rammed into the front doors, opening them. He stood there with his gun pointed at the being that held his mate.

"Ah, you must be Raymond. How about we get to know each other better?" the animal asked the lemur, placing his machete on Tanya's neck. Raymond's group were all on their knees. All in a single line facing the building. Each person either had a gun or a large knife held at them by someone.

"YOU LET THEM GO! NOW!" Raymond ordered.

"You take one more step closer, and your girlfriend's head gets sawed off. Just cutting through the muscles, the tendons, until the blade slices her windpipe, and she drowns in her own blood. You want that?" he pressed the blade against her neck.

Raymond stopped. He froze from fear and in anger. He wanted to pull the trigger, but doing so, the others would be killed. He heard the sound of a body hitting the ground behind him.

He quickly turned to the noise to see Icy on the ground, the back of his head bruised. Trent was dropped next to the puffin, they both seemed to be unconscious. But to Raymond, they looked dead.

"ICY!" Raymond cried. The stock of a rifle smashed against the lemur's head. Pain electrified through his head as it traveled down his spine. He fell hard on the soil. He was knocked unconscious.

"RAYMOND!" Tanya cried.

"Shut up!" the man behind her slammed the back of her head with the handle of his machete. She fell hard on the floor.

"NO! STOP!" Mia pleaded.

"Take them inside, we're going to teach them a lesson on the consequences of breaking into another man's home. As for the women, take them inside the shed, they get a special class." the coyote chuckled.

"Wait, NO! KELSI!" Erik yelled as he was dragged away from his mate.

"It's okay, Erik," tears began running down her face, "We're going to be okay." she sobbed.

"See, this is great. It's good to see young people having healthy relationships, too bad it won't last long." the coyote laughed.

"I'm going to kill you. I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB, MOTHERFUCKER!" Kyle threatened the coyote as he was dragged inside the building.

"Ha! A fucking faggot threatens to kill me? That's fucking adorable." the coyote laughed aloud.

"MADISON!" Andrea cried for her sister as she was taken away from her.

"ANDREA!" the Labrador cried, trying to reach for her sister. Tears were running down her face.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU LET GO OF HER! NOW!" Andrea yelled. Glaring at the coyote.

"Hey, you're right! I was the son a female dog! Though you're wrong about letting her go. We can't do a child. That's just sick! What the hell is wrong with you?" he continued to spit out venom, "Though, you on the other paw, you're just the right type for me." the coyote chucked, moving his hips.

"You sick FUCK!" she spat at him.

"Yeah, I do want to fuck. But, later, first we need to beat the living shit out the guys. It's going to be fun!" he smiled.

He walked up to Naomi, she shot arrows at him when he came close to her. "Oh, yeah, I'm going to imprint the name, "Ringo", into you." Ringo chuckled.

"Get them all inside the shed! We'll deal with them tonight, but, first, we're going to teach the rest of these people a lesson or two about fighting." Ringo said.

* * *

><p>"Do you think that we could cure everyone in the East Coast? I mean, this is carried by bite, right? And when you get bit, you die and become a runner. How can you cure a person that is already dead?" Private inquired.<p>

"If there's a will, there's a way." Kowalski said.

"I don't know, we haven't really see how this thing started. Did someone just die from the infection without being bit? Or did a Geek just randomly appear and started to eat people?" he asked.

"I don't know, Private, I guess we'll know when we get there. I don't have enough information about this disease. Though, it could be parasitic, meaning that a larvae has infiltrated the cerebral cortex, which explains Patient Zero," Kowalski said, "though, which parasite is to blame here. Finding this parasite would be a scientific phenomenon!" Kowalski cheered.

The plane stopped at the runway, a voice blasted through the intercom. "Ladies and gents, welcome to Fort Benning." McMaster announced.

* * *

><p><strong>The camp that Trent said was safe is now overrun by a notorious villain. The first of many... How on earth are they going to get out of this mess? I won't tell you...<strong>

**So, we're half way through this episode. The episode after this one is the Season Finale. Yes, that's right, the Season Finale. Then, I'm taking about a year to write Season Two. I'll be able to post with an actual schedule! Doesn't that sound fun?! 'Til next time.**

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, and that person from Chile, thank you. You read every chapter in a day, that made my day. :)<strong>


	20. Siege: Part Three

**40,000+ words, 20 chapters, 2,000 hits, and over 50 countries. That's 25% of the world (countries, not population)! Milestones. Milestones everywhere. It might not seem like a lot for some of you, but, yay! I couldn't have done this without you guys supporting me all the way here. Thank you guys. One more chapter and then the Season Finale will be upon us. And I swear, it will be to die for... Hint, hint. **

* * *

><p>The nose of the mechanical bird lifted, the tsunami of photons flooded inside, blinding the people from the mass amounts of beams. It seemed to be early morning. As the eyes adjusted, and the head stopped aching, the outside was visible. Though, it wasn't very pretty as Marlene was anticipating.<p>

All they could see was dirt. Nothing but a sea of light brown. Some building were seen from a distance. Trees poked from behind those buildings, they seemed to surround the area. Georgia really did have large vast forests. The commander stepped inside to greet the newcomers.

"Hello, and welcome to Fort Benning, Georgia. Here are the rules: you are to receive an assigned dorm after you check inside, our boys will take you to your dorms, or, temporary house," he announced,

"After settling inside, you are not to interfere with anyone. You are not permitted to travel from dorm to dorm. We do not tolerate having sex in the dorms, you do that, you will be kicked out. Just because it's the end of the world, it doesn't give you the excuse to have sexual intercourse," the plane was filled with awkwardness. How can he say this without laughing?

Private raised his flipper, "Um, what's sexual intercourse?" he inquired. Skipper's eyes widened.

The Rottweiler looked at him, "Nothing, you don't have to worry about that until you're older." he answered.

"The only people allowed inside the main building are the people in front of me," he faced Skipper and his team, "you are not to interact with these people. If I hear a complaint from either one of these people, you will be, again, kicked out of the fort," he continued,

"Now, shall we proceed?" he asked as he turned around and started walking down the plane. The others followed. As they walked past the opening of the metal bird, two soldiers stood on each side of the passage way. Standing very still and looking off into the distance. Or, looking at each other, which looked awkward.

"Skipper," McMaster called.

Skipper quickened his pace, soon he was next to the Rottweiler. "You are not to discuss any sort of information that is told to you and your team, to anyone. Do I make myself clear?" he asked the flat-headed penguin.

It was weird having to listen to that last line. He wasn't used to being ordered to do something, let alone from his team. In rare occasions, Kowalski or Private are the ones who tell him to take a break from the office, or from a case. It just felt awkward in his place.

"Yes, I guess." Skipper said.

The Rottweiler looked down at the penguin, "Too used to being the leader, huh?" he inquired.

"What? Oh, I… I guess. I'm usually the one giving orders, it's just weird hearing it from someone else," Skipper said, twiddling his flippers.

"I know how that feels, only, mine's the opposite. When I was made commander, I didn't know how to approach that. People looked up to me when I'm the one who looks up to them. I need them to succeed. Well, for us to succeed." McMaster said, they began approaching to front doors of the dorms building.

"I see." Skipper said.

Standing next to the opened doors, was a Dachshund. She stood there, awaiting the on comers. The Rottweiler saluted her, she saluted back.

"Corbett here will lead you all to your dorms, like I said, do not interact with any soldier or commander. You are to be in bed by twenty hundred hours. If you're not in bed by that time, there will be consequences. Now, I'm going to leave it to Corbett." he finished. The female canine nodded, McMaster turned to Skipper.

"As for Skipper and his team, you are to report to the main building for a conference at twenty-one hundred hours." McMaster informed the group.

"Hey, how come these people don't have to apply by the rules, while the rest of us have to?" a man shot up.

"Classified." the Rottweiler answered, walking away.

"Okay, with that settled, I'm guessing that the commander has informed you all about the rules that we have here, yes?" Corbett asked the group of animals.

"Yes, that's correct." Ryan answered.

"Well, instead of wasting your time, would you all please, follow me inside," Corbett said, turning around and headed inside. The rest of them followed.

* * *

><p>Inside seemed packed. People were walking from place to place. There was no one talking, which made the atmosphere thicken. Animals had there sleeping bags, carrying bags of supplies, and other materials.<p>

They all looked very stressed, under pressure, and depressed. One day into this "apocalypse", and people already have bags under their eyes. These Georgians must have been hit harder than New York and New Jersey.

Inside, it did smell of grass and some different odors of plants that the group had never smelled before, back in their home state. They've been to Central Park loads of times, but these plants had never been whiffed by them.

They were lead to a corridor, as expected, it was packed. Skipper and his team had to squeeze through the crammed corridor. It was decently well light, unlike in New Jersey.

"Skipper, you and your team will be settling here," Corbett informed the flat-headed penguin.

"Are you sure?" Skipper inquired.

"Yes, McMaster and I had planned ahead of time," Corbett answered.

Skipper slowly walked inside, it was a concrete room with camouflaged bunk beds on the left and right sides of the room. Skipper turned to the Dachshund, "These aren't dorms, these are barracks, I knew they were since first stepping in," Skipper said.

"Well, did you expect us to build a refugee center, completed with dorms in a day? Not possible. Besides, it's not like we were expecting this to happen," Corbett said.

"Yeah, I hear that. Preparing an entire country to prepare for the zombie apocalypse? Not going to happen, we all would have laughed at you guys." Ryan said.

"For the twentieth time, they are not zombies, they are animals controlled by a biological parasite that science hasn't discovered yet." Kowalski insisted.

"We've done…" Corbett looks behind her, people were too close. She moved closer to Skipper's group and whispered, "We've been doing animal experiments since day one,"

"WHAT?!" Kowalski yelped.

"Neither one of them have shown positive for harmful microorganisms," she answered.

"Hold on, wait, I'm already lost. Why only "harmful" microorgansisms?" Private inquired.

"It's pronounced "microORGANISMS" and we only checked for abnormal beings because, your body is already filled with microbes. About ninety percent of your biology is made of microbes. Only about ten percent are actual animal cells. That ninety percent help us digest food and all sorts of other things," Corbett answered.

Were talking about microbes in the trillions." Kowalski added.

"Yes, that trillion is made up of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms," Corbett said.

"Wait, viruses? I thought viruses could kill." Ray spoke.

"Most aren't as harmful. We've all had these viruses in our lives, that it's technically normal now. But, they don't go untreated. No virus that we have found can cause this," Kowalski said.

"What about that outbreak of Ebola? Could that have anything to do with this?" Ryan inquired.

"There were only two American patients infected with that disease, they are being treated in Atlanta. Well, I'm sure they were moved from the city since this outbreak," Corbett said, "Ebola isn't linked to this, Ebola is a Central African disease, the first case of this disease was here in America. Iowa, to be exact, and that patient was not infected with that lethal disease," Corbett answered.

"You people probably searched wrong, let a true scientist figure this out." Kowalski embarked.

"We'll talk more about this tonight, you are all to report to the main building at twenty-one hundred hours." Corbett said, walking out of the room. Rico waddled and closed the door behind her.

"Okay, when it's time to head to the main building, would you all use English, please? I would really like to be apart of this. I really do." Skipper told the scientist.

"I'm sorry, Skipper, for using my wits. I'll try my best to decode it for you." Kowalski said.

"Good, now, how about we catch up on some sleep?" Skipper suggested.

"I thought you'd never say, yes, please." Marlene sighed.

"Hey, they haven't even gotten me that nurse, the bastards." Ray complained.

"Here, let's take you somewhere where they can take a look at you. That leg might have an infection." Kowalski said, helping the lemur towards the door.

"While you guys are out there, I'm calling top bunk." Ryan said as he climbed up to his bed.

"I call top bu - oh, never mind." Private was ready to climb into his bed, only to find a grinning Rico already tucked in.

"Ray is most likely to stay in the infirmary, so that gives us enough bunks for the us." Skipper said.

"Yeah, I call dibs on top bunk, just so you know." Marlene said.

"Eh, I don't really care, I'm just dead tired." Skipper sighed.

"Good," Marlene said, pulling the covers over herself.

Skipper climbed inside his warm bed, covering himself with the camouflaged blanket. "Goodnight. Or, good morning. Or, ah, hell, good sleep. 'Til the evening." he said, shutting his eyes, falling asleep. He was emotionally and physically drained. It was good to finally have some shuteye.

* * *

><p>Inside the shed, Kelsi kept weeping. Her friends were taken way from her. They were possibly going to be killed by these horrid people. Damn them. Damn them all for causing all this pain in her.<p>

She had to be dreaming. This can't be real. All of this seemed to come straight out of science-fiction, a horrible nightmare. If she concentrated hard enough, maybe she would wake up from this brutal hell. Sadly, she wouldn't.

"Kelsi? Kelsi, can you hear me?" Tanya called to the vampire bat.

"Yes, sadly, I can. This is actually happening." Kelsi answered.

"Kelsi, you can't just leave us like that, you had us worried sick you wouldn't answer." Tanya said, hugging the bat.

"I don't see them. They all must be held inside, still. I haven't seen them being taken out." Krystal said, peeking out through the opening of the wood.

"I really hope they haven't done anything to them, yet." Naomi said.

"KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE, LADIES!" a canine yelled.

"Fucking jackass." Tanya whispered.

"What are we going to do? They took Nuka and Madison, they must have them separated. He wouldn't have them near the guys." Piper whispered.

"He must have them in the lobby. Locked inside, while doing something sinister with the guys." Kelsi whispered.

"We need to find a way out of this hellhole. Look for something we can use." Tanya said, searching the wooden shelves.

"I just hope they're okay." Naomi said.

* * *

><p>Around the building, the guys were all tired up, all were seated execution style. There were animals around them with guns. Assault rifles to shotguns. Kyle was a few yards away from the rest of the guys. He was placed in front of Ringo.<p>

The coyote swung his paw right into Kyle's stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. Pain sprang up from his gut. It felt like his stomach was about to collapse. He had already taken six hits.

Kyle's gut began to bruise. The layer of skin started to turn a light purple. He felt his stomach acid churn with every hit. If it wasn't the pain from the punches causing pain, it's the nausea he's getting from each blow.

Ringo drove his paw again into Kyle's gut, causing the grey wolf to cough up blood.

"Ha, this fucking loser said he was going to kill me. Stupid motherFUCKER!" Ringo's paw impacted the grey wolf's gut for the eighth time. The wolf then fell to the ground. His head hitting the hard soil and tiny rocks. His vision blurred.

"STOP, NOW!" Raymond demanded.

"Or what? You too are planning to kill me too? Hell, that won't be the first time, nor last." Ringo sighed. His paw was left bloodied and sore. The appendage was shaking from all the trauma it just caused.

"I swear, you're going to regret ever doing this." Erik threatened the canine.

The coyote walked up the fruit bat. "Oh, really, well the bad news for you is that I'm-" Ringo drove his left paw into the bat's skull. "Ambidextrous!" Ringo yelled. Erik fell with a thud. Pain sparked all across his head. A massive headache brewed, boiling his head.

"ERIK!" Raymond called out.

"You motherfuckers just don't know when to shut the hell up. Jesus." Ringo said, spitting at the ground. He turned to the grey wolf. He was still on the ground, "Lazy fuck." the coyote said.

A spark of pain shot up Ringo's right paw and up his arm. "Ah, fuck!" he yelled, holding his paw.

"It might be sprained." Icy spoke up.

"It's what?" Ringo inquired.

"Sprained. If you continue to use that paw, you will do some serious damage to it if you're not careful." Icy stuttered.

"You know about medicine and shit?" Ringo inquired.

"Only the basics. But, I can help you treat that." the puffin suggested.

The coyote thought about it for a second. Literally a second.

"Fine, Buck, let the penguin wannabe loose." Ringo ordered the other coyote.

"Um, I'm a puffin." Icy said.

"Don't fucking push it. Once you're done with my paw, you're going straight to your group; tied up." Ringo warned the puffin.

Buck walked up to the puffin. He grabbed his knife from its holster, and took it out, which made a "_shiiing_" sound. Icy stared at the blade, following it as the knife came closer to him.

"What? Never had a knife cutting held close to you?" Ringo asked the puffin.

"No, I've seen bigger, though." Icy said as the blade ripped through the rope that tied his flippers together.

"I'm not even going to comment on that," Ringo said.

Buck grabbed the puffin and picked him up with one tug. Icy was about two feet above to ground, "Damn, you're light as hell." Buck said.

"Would you stop playing with the guy?" Ringo inquired.

The puffin was placed on the ground. His friends were still all tied up, he had to do something in order to help them escape, "Um, thanks." Icy said.

"Get inside, I'll meet you in the front desk. As for the rest of you, I'll see you all tomorrow. Or, possibly in three days, depending on how many I'll bang." Ringo said, still holding his right paw. Icy was already escorted inside.

"If you touch anyone of those girls, I'm going to rip you apart." Raymond threatened the coyote.

"Don't worry, I'm more of a, "kills the girl after bed", kind of guy. So if they end up pregnant, I don't have to worry about taking care of a fucking kid.

"You sick fuck!" Trent yelled at the coyote.

"Yeah, I do get down and dirty in bed. I can't help myself. I'll see you sometime this week, I guess." Ringo said, walking away from the site.

"Get back here!" Raymond called out. But the coyote already left.

The other canines around them picked them up from the arms, dragging them inside the building. When a dog picked up Kyle, pain brewed again, this time, it hit harder, and more lethal. He was biting hard, trying to distract him from the pain. Erik's left eye was swollen. Scrapes were visible as well. He seemed to be unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Are you all ready?" Corbett asked the group.<p>

"Yes, just give a minute," Skipper answered.

"I'm guessing Ray won't be joining us," Corbett said.

"No, he'll be there, probably in crutches," Skipper said, "Alright, we're ready."

"This way, please." Corbett said, moving from the door.

* * *

><p>"Wait, do you see that?" Krystal inquired.<p>

"What? What is it?" Piper asked her sister.

"You found something?" Molly inquired.

"It's smoke, a lot of it. Possibly miles away from here." Krystal said.

In the distance, there were clouds of smoke billowing into the clear, blue sky. The sky looked decent, finally.

"What could be the cause?" Piper inquired.

"A forest fire, maybe?" Kelsi said.

"No, the smoke is white, that means that what ever it is, it's not burning anymore. And a fire here, in the Atlantian forest, that would have engulfed us." Krystal said.

"Maybe it's a town that's was up in flames, I know we passed by a lot of those on the way here." Naomi suggested.

"Well, whatever it is, it's got the guy's attention." Piper said.

"What the hell is that?" a canine inquired.

"It's smoke, dumbass." the person next to him answered.

"I know, but, what's over there?" the canine asked, again.

"How the hell should I know? What ever it is, it must have been big." the other animal answered.

"Should we tell Ringo?" the canine inquired.

"I don't see why not." the animal answered.

* * *

><p>It was dead quiet in the barracks, everyone was probably asleep, or trying to sleep, I mean, it is hard to sleep inside a fort, instead of your own home. But, you can't shake the feeling of being safe as well.<p>

As they made their way outside, Ray was waiting with crutches, along with a few soldiers.

"How are you feeling?" Skipper asked the lemur.

"Jesus, you don't even know. I'm on so much painkillers, I feel like I'm high right now, but, I can handle it. I'm sure I won't fall over." Ray answered.

"This way." a soldier said, leading the group towards the main building.

The group walked up to the building, along with a nurse, just incase Ray does in fact, fall over. The front doors were opened by more soldiers. A fruit bat wearing a lab coat came out, "You must be Kowalski," the bat told Skipper.

"Um, no, that would be me." Kowalski said.

"Oh, my apologies. This way, please." the bat said.

"Does everyone "this way"? I sweat, that's your guy's catchphrase." Ryan said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but please, follow me, we're wasting precious time." the bat said.

Inside, there were scientists walking around, some in groups and some by themselves, carrying papers and folders.

They walked down a corridor, the atmosphere was cold and horrifying. Closing in on them was two doors, light was shining through the small openings. Behind those doors could be horrible things. Bodies dissected, or Runners being sliced open, the thoughts kept rushing in.

"Are you ready?" the bat inquired.

"YES!" Kowalski yelled, "Oops, I mean, yes. Heh." Kowalski tried to hide his excitement. The bat opened the doors, photons rushed out, blinding everyone.

"Argh!" Charlotte let out.

"Jesus!" Ray shielded his eyes.

As they're eyes adjusted to the amount of light coming out of the large room, McMaster stood there, with a grin.

"Too bright for you" he inquired.

"A just a tad." Private answered.

"Well, I know this will sound cliché, but, are you ready to save the planet?" the Rottweiler inquired, smirking.


	21. Siege: Finale

"Zombies, is that what we're facing? Go," Ryan asked the fruit bat.

"Oh, for the love of Tesla, not again," Kowalski sighed, smacking his forehead.

"Maybe," the mammal answered.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kowalski inquired, raising a brow.

"Yes! I knew it." Ryan cheered, "I mean, hmm, interesting."

"There are about three ways this could lead to zombies. The first one is the brain parasite theory," the bat proclaimed.

"But, haven't we already ruled out that theory?" Skipper inquired.

"Yes, but there is a parasite that we have found recently that might be triggering this, it's called, "Toxoplasma Gondii". This parasite can only breed in the intestines of curtain spices of feline. The parasite then travels to rodents, who then seek out felines," the bat explained.

"But if it can only form in intestines, why is the brain affected?" Ray inquired.

That's when toxoplasmosis come into play. We've learned that infesting a test subject with the parasite, and covering

things in cat urine-"

"Ew, what the fuck?" Ray interrupted.

"And put the rodents in a captive situation, the rodents would normally scurry away, which the healthy ones did, but the ones that were infected with the parasite, they were seeking out the feline."

"So, how does that come into play with this situation?" Kowalski inquired.

"A mutated form of this parasite can infect other species of animals. Symptoms do include: loss of muscle control, loss of rational though, reducing the host into their most primal base of instincts. So, over all they become a ravaging, thrashing ignoramus," the fruit bat answered.

"I'm sorry, you didn't tell us your name," Private said.

"It's Daniels," the mammal answered.

"So, if this thing infects its host…" Skipper thought.

"Once it infects its host, it's too late. Or, it's "lights out"." Daniels said.

"So, did we or did we not rule out parasites?" Ryan inquired.

"Not mostly, we still haven't gotten the results for this specific parasite, it has only been two days," Corbett answered, "it could take another day or two,"

"What's the threat level?" Skipper inquired.

"Moderate. But, that doesn't rule out the fact that this isn't what's causing the dead to rise." McMaster answered.

"Okay, I have had enough with this stupid cockamamie talk about zombies. You know why it is completely impossible for it to be zombies? I'll tell you why. A disease spreading via mastication, is completely impossible. You cannot turn into something just because of a bite. We get bit by mosquitoes all the time, but you don't see people turning into them. Even if that was remotely possible, this "zombie apocalypse" would only last about a week because of how goddamn stupid these "zombies" are. Especially when we are pushing in on breaking twelve trillion in global population. We could easily gather every single infectee and cure them," Kowalski debated.

"Also, it can't be zombies because you can't kill something that's already dead. Without a functioning circulatory system and a beating heart, pumping blood and oxygen, a reanimated corpse's muscles would succumb to Rigor Mortis. Their muscles would collapse, and they would just be piles of decomposing meat on the side of the road!" Kowalski's voice rose.

"Kowalski," Skipper called to his lieutenant.

"And with their failed muscles and lack of oxygen, their fatty tissues would have stopped producing the hormone, leptin, which activates the sensation of hunger in the first place!" Kowalski yelled.

"Kowalski," Skipper called again.

"Thus, cutting the desire to devour flesh!" Kowalski shouted.

"Kowalski!" Skipper yelled.

Kowalski was there, out of breath from all the crazy science lecture he just gave. Everyone in the room stared at the tall penguin. McMaster walked up to the strategist, slowly.

"Listen, I know there are some plot holes in there, but, that is my statement. Zombies. Aren't. Real." Kowalski said.

The Rottweiler looked down at the penguin, "Come with me." the canine said.

* * *

><p>Inside the lab, laid the bodies of the deceased on metal tables. The scientists were in large bio-hazardous suits. It didn't look like any inch of their body was exposed.<p>

The lab had glass walls and white tables covered by tools and syringes. There were large lights above them, lighting everything. The amount of white was blinding. There were tubes running on the ceiling and into the "glass box". Those tubes were attached to the bio-hazard suits.

Corbett climbed inside her own suit, when she walked inside a small chamber. She tried to stand on her hind legs, which were short and almost made in impossible to do. A blast of clear liquid drenched her suit. She had to spin inside to make sure her plastic suit was covered in the chemicals.

"What's that for? Is she taking a shower? With a suit on?" Charlotte inquired.

"That chamber is used to kill off any bacteria left on that suit. That way, the disease won't be able to infect and mutate with a fresh set of DNA," McMaster answered.

"Oh…" the young otter said.

"So, here is where you're doing your experiments?" Skipper inquired.

"Correct, now, before you say anything, these people volunteered to help. They were one of the first people to be infected with the pathogen. The last of the first," Daniels answered.

"Damn, how were you guys able to track these guys down?" Ryan inquired.

"It didn't take us long. When we were alerted with the new pathogen from a blood test, we immediately rushed them over to the CDC in Atlanta. And when they were overrun, we took them here," McMaster answered.

"Blood test? Those take weeks, this thing started two days ago." Kowalski said.

"We think that this new pathogen has a connection with this newer pathogen. We were able to examine them today, we couldn't do it earlier because of their families disagreeing and the media. We couldn't let this out to the media, it would have caused a panic," Daniels answered.

"Why wouldn't you guys inform the public?" Ray inquired.

"We did that with "H1N1", and all we did was get healthy people scared. So, it was better not to do it with this one," McMaster answered.

"What were the statistics of the lesser new pathogen?" Kowalski inquired.

"Okay, does the lesser new pathogen have a name? 'Cause this is really confusing me," Private inquired.

"The "Necro Virus". Or, "NEC-1"," Daniels answered.

"It's a virus?" Kowalski inquired, not taking his eyes off the bodies, examining each one.

"Yes, when entering its host, it attacks the lungs, the brain, and the central nervous system. It has been known to cause seizures, high fever, and muscle spasms," Daniels answered, flipping through his notepad.

"Muscle spasms. Much like we've seen back in New York," Skipper said.

"New York? Didn't we found you all in New Jersey?" McMaster inquired.

"Long story. We lost someone during the trip," Skipper answered, lowering his head.

"Wait, was he bit?" Daniels asked the flat-headed penguin.

"Woah, woah, woah, have some respect, man," Skipper shoved the mammal back.

"Daniels," the Rottweiler called.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask you a few questions, see if there is a connection," Daniels said.

"How would there be a connection?" Marlene inquired.

"The symptoms, the incubation period, etc. We know that the virus has originated from South East Asia, but, we still haven't found "Patient Zero"," Daniels answered.

"Wait, if you haven't found patient zero for "NEC-1", how did you find patient zero for this pathogen?" Ryan inquired.

"A person dying, coming back to life in a hospital bed, and attacking and feasting on the nurses? It wasn't that hard. Sadly, he wasn't patient zero," Daniels answered.

"So, like I asked, what are the statistics of the pathogen?" Kowalski asked, again.

"Oh, right, well, we calculated that "NEC-1" to be highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. It infects people in all ages, and, no vaccine or treatment has been made," Daniels answered.

"That's it?" Kowalski asked the mammal.

"And, it mutates at an alarming rate," Daniels faced the glass, glancing at the dead bodies, hooked onto machines, "This thing is figuring us out faster than we're figuring _it_ out," Daniels answered.

"So, not treatment?" Marlene inquired.

"No, no matter what we put it in, it killed everything. We tried pig cells, bat, penguin, canine, hell, even jellyfish, still nothing. It kills everything it touches." Daniels answered.

"Jesus," Ryan let out.

"Well, more like the opposite," Daniels said.

Inside the lab, Corbett grabbed a vibrating saw, while another scientist was shaving the fur off of a dead feline. She sprayed the tool in a chemical, then wiped it with a sheet of fabric, that too was drenched in chemicals. The amount of chemicals was nauseating.

"Corbett said there were three ways this could lead to "zombies", she told us the theory of the brain parasite, then there's this, "NEC-1", what's the other one?" Skipper asked the fruit bat.

"Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis," Daniels answered.

"Who?" Skipper inquired.

"It's a type of cordyceps. Cordyceps are a fungal parasites that infect and "hijack" an insect, turning them into a "zombie" like state. A spore from the fungus that enters an ant's body, and takes control of the brain and its movements. It manipulates the ant to find a spot in the sun to die, not long after, the fungus then grows out of the ant's head, then releases a slew of spores into the air,"

"Jesus, is that what we're facing?" Ray inquired.

"Maybe, With "NEC-1", it's somewhat the same. When we performed an autopsy on an animal that was infected with, "NEC-1", we found large tumors growing on the brain stem and lungs. They about the size of pennies. They were able to burst upon contact. When a tumor erupted in West Virginia, a doctor came down with a cold. He was sent to the hospital due to loss of motor mobility and seizures," Daniels answered.

"It could be the cordyceps, right?" Ryan inquired.

"No, "NEC-1" is a virus, Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis is a fungus. The fungus is a theory that could be causing this "zombie" plague. But, if "NEC-1" does have a connection with this "zombie" pandemic, then this "zombie" pandemic is a virus, not Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis or Toxoplasma Gondii. If it is a virus, then it would be easier to cure, though, viruses do tend to mutate a lot," Daniels answered.

A scientist used a scalpel to slice through the layer of flesh. He pulled the flap of skin back, reveling the skull. Corbett took the vibrating saw to the operating table. The fur on the feline's head was gone. Dotted lines were drawn on her skull, making a path for the saw. She turned the saw on, and brought the saw down. It buzzed as it cut through the skull. Charlotte looked away while Private gagged at the sight.

"Wait, if these patients were infected with this newer pathogen, wouldn't they come back to life?" Ray inquired, while Kowalski groaned.

"No, each one had their brain shut down, meaning that they won't be able to reanimate, except for Hank over there." McMaster answered.

"Who's Hank?" Skipper inquired.

The Rottweiler pointed to a canine strapped in a bed, tubes and syringes were injected into about every inch of his body.

"He's the only one that's alive in there. We're running a test with another virus, we're seeing if it has some effect to his reanimation period. It will either speed up the process, or stop the process completely. I'm feeling pretty confident," Daniels answered.

Sure enough, there was an I.V. strapped to his arm, a yellowish fluid was streaming into his arm and was pumped through his veins. The table next to him was the autopsy on the feline. Her skull was about half way cut though.

"So, "NEC-1", how is that?" Kowalski inquired.

"What do you mean?" Daniels inquired, everyone but, Private and Charlotte was watching the procedure.

"Like, is it an epidemic?" Kowalski asked the bat.

"Oh, well, it's a pandemic at the time. We've seen cases from the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Mexico, India, etc. This virus was hot, I'm surprised that no one has heard of this," Daniels answered.

"Well, we don't pay attention to the media. It's complete garbage now a days," Skipper answered.

"Is it over?" Private asked, holding his flipper over his eyes.

"Almost, don't you want to see what a brain looks like?" McMaster asked the young penguin.

"No!" Private answered.

The vibrating saw stopped buzzing. A scientist handed her the skull chisel. She took the tool and placed it on the small gap between the cut. She grabbed a small silver hammer off the cart covered in silver surgical tools and lightly tapped the chisel. The skull split open, revealing the brain. It was discolored. It wasn't the pink that we're all used to. It was a light purple with some pink splashes here and there.

Before the next step was made, Hank flat-lined. A male scientist looked behind him, there he saw the machine letting out the lethal beep noise, "Sarah," he called for the scientist.

"I got it." Sarah said, grabbing a clipboard and rushed towards the canine, taking notes.

"He's… gone?" Private asked, still not looking. No one answered.

She placed the tools back on the cart. She moved her paw inside the skull, moving the brain to the side, making a squish noise. She inspected the brain, setting her eyes on the giant black colored tumor that was growing on the brain stem. There was also something attached to the brain itself. They looked like roots.

Her eyes widened, "Oh, shit." she let out.

At the same time, Hanks eyes shot open. He let out a loud screech before getting up. The syringes and wires attached to him disconnected. He started to twitch and his eyes began to ooze blood.

"Oh, shit!" Ryan let out.

"Thomas!" Sarah called to the scientist as he was bit on the shoulder. Blood ran down as the muscles and tendons were ripped apart, exposing the bone to the fresh air, "NO!" Sarah screamed.

"GET DOWN!" McMaster ordered, he pointed his Glock at Hank and pulled the trigger several times. The glass wall shattered into millions little pieces near the epicenter of where the bullet entered, but the space further away from the epicenter, large shards of glass flew.

The bullets penetrated the canines' skull and neck, but each exited the other side, and attacked a set of computers. Sparks flew and the sound of electricity roared through the room, as Thomas fell to the floor in his pool of blood.

The tubes that were feeding air to the hazmat suits, pumped too much air, causing rips in the suits, exposing them.

The lights turned off past all the screams and shouts. And to make matters worse, the tumor burst.

"EVERYONE, OUT OF THE LAB, NOW!" McMaster yelled, running out of the room. Skipper and his team made it up, untouched, but horrified at what just happened.

Corbett rushed out of the room with Daniels and Sarah. McMaster didn't hesitate, he shut the door behind Corbett, some were still inside.

"Hey, open the door! There's still people inside!" Skipper yelled.

"NO! You saw what that was, that was a tumor, it opened up. We don't know if that could of released spores or bacteriophage!" the Rottweiler barked.

"B-but my husband's in there!" Sarah pleaded.

"I'm sorry," McMaster said.

"NO! Open the door!" she cried, "Larry, please, no!" she collapsed to the floor.

The animals who were on the other side of the door were banging their fists on the metal door. The faint shouts of the scientists were heard. It was possible that they were infected with the disease.

McMaster turned to the first responders, "Don't let anyone near this door, you hear me?! NO ONE! The last thing we need it to let this thing out!" the Rottweiler ordered at the top of his lungs, "All of you, need to go, NOW!" he barked.

"You can't just trap people inside there!" Skipper yelled.

"Skipper," Kowalski called. Skipper turned to his lieutenant, "We need to leave. It's not save here."

"Kowalski," Skipper started.

"Skipper, we can't save everyone." Kowalski said.

The leader turned around, "Damn it!" he yelled as he punched the wall.

"What did I just say?! GET OUT!" McMaster barked.

"Skipper, let's go." Kowalski placed his flipper on the leader's shoulder.

"Sarah," Corbett called for the feline.

"Gentlemen, escort these people out of the facility." McMaster ordered his soldiers, as they were forced out of the white painted corridor to the laboratories, and out of the main building.

* * *

><p><strong><em>The Dead<em>**

**_End of episode five, Siege_**

**In Memoriam, **

**Hank**

**Countless amounts of zombies**

**Next episode: "Endless", the season finale...**

**Outro song: "Turn Blue" by: The Black Keys**


	22. Endless: Part One

**Well, here we are, the last episode. The final four chapters. It's been great. I got endless support from everyone. Without you guys, this thing wouldn't of been the success that it is. Just another amateur story. Another snowflake zipping through an endless blizzard. You see that? I tried to make some sort of poetic thing. Jesus Christ, I'm terrible at it.**

**Before we get to the story, I would like to thank some friends that really made this an amazing journey. Why am I calling this "an amazing journey"? I've been doing this for eight months, it's not like I won a pageant or anything.**

**I'm getting sidetracked. Thank whoever you believe in that people skip these parts.**  
><strong>I would like to thank my friends, SkullDestroyer, JustAnotherLoneWolf, Mikadaphne28, TheSkySpiritsTalentShow, Sweetpanda12, GearSolidSnake, and RegularShowFan1592. Without you guys, I wouldn't have been able to do this. And, I'm grateful that people like you guys exist. So, thank you for putting up with me and my weird shit.<strong>

**Also, I put up a poll on my profile, there you can vote on your favorite character! :D I'd wait until the season's over, though.**

**Well, with all the mushy and miscellaneous stuff and out of the way, here is the first part to the four part episode, "Endless", the season finale.**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Buildings were abandoned. Cars were left on the streets, some of them were just skeletons due to fire. It was a clear day, though. No more dark, grey skies. No ashes falling from the sky. No groans or moans from zombies were heard, and that worried Negan.

He looked around, half expecting a horde of Geek roaming the streets and half expecting to see rotting corpses scattered all over the streets. But, surprisingly, it was empty. The atmosphere was tight. Everything felt fake. But, it wasn't.

"I guess these people hightailed it right when news struck. Hmm, finally, people are smart during the apocalypse," Negan said to himself, "Why am I talking to myself?" he asked aloud.

The small town was completely deserted. No being was… being. The air was smoke-free, the sounds of Atlanta decomposing along with the Geek didn't reach here. The last horde he was with took him around Atlanta. All you can hear were the screams of people being torn apart and the blasting of heavy artillery rampaged for days. So, it was nice to get out of the deafening sounds for once.

He walked past small shops, which surprisingly, still had its windows standing. It looks like the marts weren't even looted. He felt weird walking around a small town, alone, though, that could change at any minute. He grabbed a bloodied arrow from his pouch and rested it on the bow, ready to launch it at any reanimated corpse.

He stepped closer to the small shop, a small note caught his attention. It read: "Take what you need. Good luck and God bless."

Negan rolled his eyes and entered the shop, maybe some of these people were stupid after all.

He stepped inside, all of the shelves still had about ninety-five percent of what ever they were displaying. He walked around each small aisle, making sure he wasn't alone. He reacted the end of the aisles. He turned, making sure there wasn't anything behind the counter. Nothing.

"Hmm." the canine stood there, trying to process all of this.

He had the entire town, which is probably filled to the teeth with supplies, all to himself. Well, this is amazingly hysterical. The canine started to chuckle in disbelief, placing his paw on his forehead. His belly was spazzing out, his tail was wagging. He never felt this happy in… a day? An exhausting, terrifying day.

It was weird how inanimate objects could bring happiness to a living being. He walked across the aisles, scanning the items that were shelved. The laughs kept escalating, soon he was laughing hysterically, running through each aisle, not hearing the creature walking inside the shop.

He stopped at a specific aisle, looking at all the packaged products. From sweets to potato chips. He grabbed a small bag of his favorite chips and headed towards the counter.

He laid on the blue counter that had small boxes full of bubblegum. He opened the bag, grabbed his first chip and popped it into his mouth. He was so caught up in his fantasy, he didn't even notice the creature walk inside.

"Well, someone is enjoying his day off," the bird said.

The voice brought Negan back to reality, he grabbed his knife from his sheath. The salt and grease from the potato chips stuck on the handle of the blade and crumbs fell from his chest as he turned around. He pointed the knife towards the small bird.

"Woah! Calm down, I'm not here to rob you." the Brown Thrasher said, waving his wings around.

Negan thought about it for a second, there is a lot of supplies to go around, "Drop your weapons first," Negan said, leaping off of the counter.

"Yeah, sure," the bird grabbed his knife from his sheath and his gun from his holster, placing them on the floor. The Red Husky walked over to the small bird, he was about half his size.

Negan put away his knife and began frisking the bird, checking for weapons, luckily, he didn't find any.

Negan stepped away, the bird stood there awkwardly. The canine reached for the Thrasher's weapons handing them over, "If I give these back to you, can I trust you that you won't try anything stupid?" Negan inquired.

"Yeah, you can trust me," the bird said, grabbing his weapons.

"Alright then, I could have sworn I was alone here," Negan said.

"I thought so too, I was sleeping on the roof, you know? Away from the zombies." the bird said, placing his gun in his holster.

"We missed each other, it did feel weird being alone here. So, do you live here?" Negan inquired.

"No, I was trying to escape a small group of Runners. Being able to fly, I decided to perch on this roof, too bad they saw me landing here. They were just there, trying to reach me. I spent the night laying here, listening to the endless moans and groans. I felt like I was about to go insane and blow my brains out, until I heard some gunfire. Luckily, they heard it too," Christian answered.

"Damn, seemed like one hell of a night," Negan said.

"Yeah, didn't really think I was going to be hunted by reanimated corpses," Christian said.

"I can relate," Negan said.

"You slept on a roof before?" Christian inquired.

"Well, when I was a kid I would, but, about being hunted," Negan answered.

"I can tell, coming from the fact that you're covered head to tail in blood," Christian said.

Negan looked at himself, he was a mess. The blood hardened and stuck on his red and white coat. He looked like a monster, that made him worry.

"I can explain, see, Geek can't smell you if you're drenched in their own blood. They don't smell you, they don't see you," Negan said.

"Really? That's... That's pretty messed up," Christian said, crossing his arms. "So, are we staying here or what?"

"Hell no, I've got to keep moving. We're still too close to the city. Hell, we're surrounded by cities," Negan said, grabbing a duffle bag from one of the aisles.

"Hmm, so uh, can I come with you?" Christian inquired.

"I'm sorry, but, I'm on my own. I wish you the best of luck," Negan answered, stuffing the violet bag with food.

"Come on, you could use the help! It's good to have someone looking out for your back. Especially in the woods!" Christian insisted.

Negan looked at the small bird. He looked small and fragile. He couldn't leave behind a creature in need. Or could he? "Fine. But, I only said yes because of numbers," Negan said.

The bird sighed, "Oh man, thank you. For some reason, I feel safer being next to you," Christian said.

"Don't make this weird,"

"Sorry,"

"Go ahead and grab a bag, we'll be needing it for other supplies," Negan ordered.

The small bird grabbed a bag that was small enough for him to carry. He started filling the bag with supplies.

"Don't fill it up all the way, we're gonna use the rest of the space for the pharmacy next door," Negan said.

"Okay, got it," Christian said.

Was he doing the right thing? This is a total stranger he's inviting into his life. Who's to he's not just using him an animal shield or bait? Only time will tell, if he tries anything, ANYTHING, he'll regret ever meeting him.

* * *

><p><strong>Endless<strong>

A large crowd of animals formed around the main building, all were curious as to the sounds of guns being fired.

Skipper ran through the brightly lighted corridor, heading towards the control room where the mutt was located. The others followed behind, "We need to do something about what happened back at the lab, we can't just leave them in there, trapped!" Skipper said.

"Skipper, what if it is cordyceps? If we open that door, the entire facility will be exposed to those spores. We're going to be threatening everyone here!" Kowalski said.

Skipper didn't listen, he kept running until he reached his destination.

"What the hell was that?!" Skipper yelled, surprising everyone in the room.

"You're still with that? What the hell did you expect me to do?!" McMaster snapped.

"You're supposed to protect everyone here, that's why you're commander here, those people are at risk of dying under your watch!" Skipper shouted.

"We're all in the risk of death! I made a decision that kept us going for a little longer, you're going to have to break a few in order to protect everyone else! If it wasn't for my quick thinking, those spores would have taken over by now!" McMaster barked.

"What the hell does that even mean?! We're still not sure whether or not that tumor was filled with spores. If it was spores, me and my team would of have been infected with the disease a long time ago!" Skipper yelled.

"You what?" McMaster inquired.

"You shoot them in the brain, that's who you get them to stop tearing at you. If the tumor is located in the brain, wouldn't there be a chance of popping that tumor, releasing those spores?" Skipper inquired.

McMaster turned to Daniels, "It could be possible, though there is one thing that we know," Daniels started.

"Daniels, don't," McMaster ordered, "it will cause a panic," he said.

"What will?" Skipper inquired, the canine turned away, "Daniels, what are you talking about?"

Daniels just stood there, "That's something that only me and McMaster can know, I'm sorry I brought it up," the bat said quickly.

"We have enough to worry about here, meanwhile we have soldiers out there, rescuing survivors," the Rottweiler said, facing the giant screen that showed pictures of towns and cities across the country. There were live videos of military vehicles and aircraft. Next to those live videos, there were charts and statistics, those were live too.

"Hey, what are those fancy graphs for?" Ryan inquired.

There was a pie chart in the middle of the screen, the colors, red, blue and black were shown. Next to that, a map of the United States was shown, red dots were popping up in different places of states. New York City was in a sea of red. Pennsylvania wasn't doing too good either, Philadelphia was taken over, and so was Pittsburgh. There, Chicago was being swallowed by the dots. Parts of the Carolinas were flooded by those dots. Washington D.C. didn't seem to be affected. There, Georgia was splattered by those dots. Atlanta, Macon, and Augusta were taken over by something.

"Those are the statistics of the pathogen, it determines who many are healthy, infected, and "dead"." McMaster answered.

"Wait, that's Chicago, why are they on Chicago?" Marlene inquired.

Skipper turned to the quiet commander, "What's happening in Chicago?" Skipper inquired.

"It's not only here in the East Coast, it's everywhere, isn't it?" Kowalski said.

The Rottweiler slowly turned to the group, "Global," he said slowly.

Mouths dropped. The word was a punch in the gut, this thing was eating away at them, literally.

"Is that what Daniels was talking about?" Private inquired, shaking.

"Close, but this is different," McMaster turned back to the screen, "We have some guys about a hundred miles from here, Daniels pull up the stream," McMaster ordered.

The mammal pressed a few buttons on the dashboard, soon live footage from a helicopter's point of view showed what looked like a small F.E.M.A. center, a school. But, by the time the video pulled up on screen, there were Runners swarming all over the place.

"Shit. We're too late. Tell them to fall back," he ordered.

"Where are they?" a Charlotte inquired.

"Atlanta. About one hundred miles from here. We're trying to rescue refugees from highly populated cities. We've had successes, others, not so much," McMaster answered.

"So you're just going to leave them there? To die?!" Skipper's voice was rising.

"They are already dead!" McMaster barked.

Skipper paused. "What?" he inquired. The people started to chatter. He looked around, all eyes were on them.

The commander turned around. "Never mind that. The area has been infiltrated. Those people are as good as dead," the commander walked away.

"Mr. McMaster, there has to be another way we can save those people. There has be I mean, you have all these gadgets and everything." Private said.

"I can't!" he barked, silencing the huge room. "We can't save everybody! I'm no God or a hero. If we go back, the planes will attract them here; and I think you already now what happens when that happens," he paused.

Everyone stared at him. The penguin started to quiver.

"They get out of there, then we'll be moving to a military vessel just outside the coast. We'll be heading towards Antarctica after that; to another science research lab. Maybe we'll be able to figure out what this thing is," McMaster said as he headed towards a door, leading to the dorms.

"Until then, we stay put, and we wait until the cargo planes come and pick us up. I hope you all brought your winter clothes. We're going to be experiencing temperatures in the negative," he said as he left the building.

"Get back here!" Skipper yelled.

The commander stopped in his tracks.

"Sir, I really think you should." Daniels.

His ears stood up, as he turned. "What is it?" the canine inquired.

"There's a wave of them coming this way, they are coming in from the North,"

"But, I thought we already checked on the north,"

"We did,"

"AND?!" he barked.

The scientist stood there; frozen.

"Daniels, pull up the map." Kowalski commanded.

A scientist pressed a few buttons and the front monitor showed a live image map of the area.

"That's where we are," Daniels said.

"Are we now?" McMaster said annoyed.

"We've checked the perimeter, and we haven't seen any activity, sir," Daniels said.

"If they're heading from the North, then… Daniels, what's in the North?" the penguin inquired.

He zoomed out of the frame, only to find little dots moving across the map.

"Stop," McMaster said, "that's the horde we found earlier, right?" McMaster inquired.

"Correct," Daniels answered.

"Well, what's this talk of another horde?" the Rottweiler inquired. The scientist moved the map, heading North. There, the images of another storm brewing were shown, heading towards the base.

"Daniels, what is that?" McMaster inquired.

"That appears to be the entire population of Columbus. Two hundred thousand," Daniels answered, shivering.

"Jesus, when's it hitting?" McMaster inquired.

"In t-minus one hour, sir," Daniels answered.

"You see what I mean, Skipper? We can't save everybody," McMaster said coldly. Skipper glared at him.

"You can't save them because you're a pathetic excuse for a commander," Skipper said.

"If I'm such a fucking mess, I'd like to see you try and play commander for the safety of an entire state. This isn't police work, Skipper. If you were in my place, you would crack under the pressure. Ten million souls under your protection, the endless guilt you have when the people you protect end up getting hurt or in some situations die,"

"You don't think this effects me? It fucking does. It eats away at me, Skipper. I can't feel my limbs at times because of all the stress and the amount of anxiety I have every single day. My life expectancy has literally been cut down. And with all this stress and shit, I was too caught up at the moment to order that sweep. You don't think that I don't fucking knew anyone in that laboratory? Those people were the best of the best. I knew them personally," McMaster stared at the floor.

"And to see the look on their faces when I closed the door on them. They looked at me straight in the face. You ever had to do that, Skipper?" McMaster asked the flat-headed penguin. The thought of Stet came into mind.

"If it hasn't, it will happen. You can't avoid it. You can never prepare. You think you do, but when it finally happens, you freeze. You can't think straight. I did the first thing that came into mind, and I closed that door. Hell, it should be me in there. Not her…" McMaster finished.

"Who's "her"?" Private inquired.

"That girl that they operated on was someone close to you, wasn't it?" Marlene inquired.

The Rottweiler stayed quiet.

* * *

><p>Sarah walked up to the soldiers that were blocking the corridor, "I just… want to say goodbye," she said.<p>

"Fine, just don't open the door incase anything happens," a soldier told her, making room for her to pass.

"Thank you," she said.

She slowly walked to the blue, metallic door, which was about one and a half away from where the soldiers were standing. She stopped and stared into the small, circular window. There was nothing but darkness and a few flickering lights.

"Mike?" she called. Nothing.

"Can a few steps away from the door," the same soldier ordered.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I dragged you into this, it was stupid of me, I shouldn't of said anything," she said, taking a two steps away from the door.

Rustling was heard from the other side of the door, "Mike?" Sarah gasped. The rustling could still be heard. A groan was heard.

"Mike!" she said happily. She rushed towards the door and unlocked it.

"Hey!" a soldier yelled.

The door flew open, "Mike!" Sarah called out.

The soldier ran towards her, "Close the door!" he ordered.

Geek rushed out, one leaped onto both, Sarah and the soldier. Three leaped onto the other soldiers who were firing frantically.

* * *

><p>"McMaster," Skipper started, "we can't stay here. I'm sorry for all this, but, I need to look out for my team," Skipper said.<p>

"What ever happened to keeping everyone safe?"

"Well, I just learned that we can't save everyone, can we?" Skipper answered.

"Skipper?"

"What about Antarctica?" Charlotte asked Skipper.

"With a horde of those things rushing over here, not a chance. Besides, we still don't have a "go" upon the action, it could take weeks," McMaster answered.

"Well, maybe we could-" Kowalski was interrupted by the blasts of sirens.

"What's going on? Why are the sirens going off?!" McMaster barked.

"I don't know, McMaster! Maybe someone opened the door?!" Daniels paused.

"Shit!" McMaster said, grabbing his gun from his holster, "All of you stay here! Skipper, bring who ever has a gun over here!" McMaster ordered.

"Damn, Kowalski?"

"I only have about five bullets left,"

"I didn't bring my gun!" Private said.

"Three bullets in mine!" Ryan said.

"Goddamn it, fine, if anyone has a loaded gun, come with me, the rest of you stay!" Skipper barked.

"You got it, Skipper." Ray said as Skipper and a few others ran towards the doors.

McMaster followed the screams of people, he ran into the lobby. Through the windows, he saw the slaughter of animals being torn apart and turning.

He began firing upon the ones who were feasting on the living. He'd occasionally miss, shooting the heart or an arm, but most of the shots were headshots.

Skipper and a small group arrived and began firing. They were barely making a dent.

"How the hell did they spread so fast?!" Skipper yelled through the blasts.

"I'm telling you, it's the spores!" McMaster said before realizing what he said, "Oh fuck, go back! Head back!" McMaster ordered.

The firing stopped but the zombies soon realized that there was noise coming from inside the building. They started to head inside to find the small group of people running to the control room.

They started launching onto their prey, taking a few.

"KEEP GOING!" McMaster voice was swallowed by the endless moans and groans from the dead.

Soldiers showed up with automatic rifles, "Get down!" one ordered and started firing upon the reanimated corpses.

Skipper along with a few others made it inside the control room, McMaster was the last one to get inside.

"Get in here!" McMaster called to the soldiers, rushing inside, barely escaping the cold clutches of the undead.

"This time, someone better NOT OPEN THE DOOR," McMaster barked.

"Herbert," Skipper called to the commander.

"What?" McMaster answered, he noticed that the penguin was looked down at his leg. He looked down to see blood running down his hind leg, "Oh, fuck…"

* * *

><p>"Quit complaining, you prick," Ringo said, shoving the puffin towards the front desk of the lobby. Ringo was followed by an assistant with a rifle.<p>

"Okay! Okay," Icy said before a final shove made him tumble towards the floor. He luckily caught himself with his flippers, but it wasn't enough as his beak smashed into the cold floor. Pain traveled across his face, a burning sensation quickly came, followed by numbness.

"Girls, look who came to visit?" Ringo said.

Icy looked up to see Madison and Nuka hiding under the desk, quivering in fear, "Girls?" Icy inquired.

"Icy," Madison responded.

"It's going to be okay, you're going to be okay, I promise," Icy said, trying to pick himself up, not knowing the fact that Ringo was pulling out his knife from his sheath.

"Aw, it's too bad you won't be able to promise that," Ringo said as he walked over to the girls, knife in paw.

"R-Ringo? No! Don't touch them!" Icy pleaded.

Ringo grabbed Nuka from the flipper, "NO! LET GO OF ME!" she squirmed, trying to get away form the monster. He lifted the girl by the flipper until she was about three feet in the air.

"You see, Madison, I think your mom, or sister is pretty hot," Ringo said as he laid Nuka on the floor, placing his paw on the back of her neck, holding her down.

"Don't touch her!" Icy yelled.

"You get near me and your brains will paint the walls," Ringo threatened the puffin. The other animal in the room pointed his gun at the puffin.

"You son of a bitch," Icy insulted the mutt.

"Again, that doesn't affect me. Now, as I was saying, Madison, your whatever is really cute. I don't want you to get hurt," he brushed his knife against Nuka's back, "You see, in order to survive in this world, you have to be able to do things, crazy things. When to time comes, you're gonna have to sacrifice the weak, in order for the strong to thrive," Ringo said as he drove the blade down into the young penguin's back.

Nuka yelled in agony as the blade tore through muscles, tearing at the tendons, bursting veins and arteries.

"No!" Icy cried.

"STAY DOWN!" Ringo said.

"NUKA!" Madison cried out.

Blood streamed from the girl's beak, tear ran down from her eyes.

Ringo began to slowly shift the blade up towards her head, opening her back. Air rushed inside, burning her flesh and blood pouring out from the gash. Ringo brought the knife down even more, the blade was scratching at her spine.

She was gurgling from the amount of blood that was streaming from her beak. Intense pain was ripping through her back. She was in the endless embrace of pain and agony.

Ringo lifted the cold blade and brought it towards her neck, he lifted her head and began digging into the tendons, shredding her windpipe, exposing it.

All these images were being played out right in front of Madison. They were being burned into her skull.

The young penguin's eyelids closed and she stopped squirming. Her body stopped, she was gone. Finally put out of her misery.

"N-Nuka…" Icy cried, tears running down his face.

"And that's how it's done," Ringo said. His paws were drenched in blood. Blood splotches were scattered all over his chest and face.

"Ringo, we've got company," a canine said form across the room.

Ringo looked up, his eyes pointed up. From the glass doors, it looked like his guys had brought in a few people. One was in crutches.

"Ah, well, what a pleasant surprise, lady and gentlemen, I'll be right back," Ringo said as he stood up. He looked down at the puffin who was crying his eyes out. Madison was just sitting there, not moving, "I'm still gonna need that treatment for my paw, Icy," Ringo said as he left the lobby.

They were both left with Nuka's corpse. Trapped in hell. This would only be the first of many…

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>


	23. Endless: Part Two

**Here's part two. Two parts left… Enjoy. Sorry if this is kind of... sloppy. Not my best chapter.**

* * *

><p>The sounds of pounding kept erupting from the doors. Hundreds of freshly turned Runners were right outside, clawing their way inside to feast on the living. To tear them limb from limb, to gut them, to devour their flesh.<p>

Soldiers were trying hard to keep the doors from opening. Others held raised their weapons in case they get swept by the mass sea of Geek.

On the opposite side of the room, the Rottweiler stood there, staring at his hind leg which had a bite mark. The crimson fluid seeped from the wound. He could feel it. He could actually feel the something moving up his leg. It felt heavy. A burning sensation erupted from the infected area. He looked up to see. Skipper carefully waddling towards the injured canine.

"No! Stay right there!" McMaster ordered, holding out his paw.

"Herbert, we can help you," Skipper said, continuing his venture towards the Rottweiler.

"That's an order, soldier!" he barked.

Skipper stopped, the Rottweiler's expression changed from an fiery glare to a pitiful frown in a matter of seconds, "Please," McMaster said.

"It's okay, we're all trapped in here, we're all in this mess, and we can all get out of it; together." Skipper said, getting closer to the dog, reaching his flipper. McMaster's eyes met with Skipper's. Skipper saw the eyes of a worried man. A tired man.

"I don't want help, this is what I need," he said.

"Don't talk like that," Skipper said.

"I can't help it. A few days ago, there were twelve trillion animals living, breathing the same air. Now, we're down to about eight trillion," McMaster turned to the giant LCD screen, "Two trillion are infected, and eight billion are reanimated. Skipper, this is the fastest spreading virus in history," McMaster said.

"Society's eradicated, civilization's crumbled, and us? We're the ones who watch it all happen right in front of us. It won't be long until everyone we know is gone, turning into one of those things," McMaster's eyes searching around the room, bouncing from person to person.

"McMaster, they're right outside, if we all join in, maybe we could-"

"WE CAN'T JUST-!"

"WE'VE GOT TO TRY!" Skipper yelled back.

"Try for what? To escape? Only to be ripped apart by those things?"

"You can't say that without even trying," Skipper answered, "We just got to keep trying, there's got to be a place, anywhere!"

"There's nowhere to go to, Skipper. Everything's lost-!"

"EVERYTHING'S NOT LOST!" there was a brief silence between everyone, "Everything's not lost," Skipper said calmly.

Skipper looked around for faces of agreement. He didn't find any. All he found were the faces of depression, tiredness, and the faces of pure hopelessness.

"Skipper," Charlotte called to the flat-headed penguin, "we can't stat here." he said, hugging Marlene who was giving Skipper a look of desperation.

"Do you not see the data that's in front of your face? We're losing. Fast. There's no point. We're all-"

"THE DATA DOESN'T MEAN-!"

"DO YOU NOT SEE THE DATA?!" McMaster barked, "This disease, is something more! There's no stopping it!"

"There's got to be a place, somewhere, anywhere where we can be safe! Another lab, maybe!"

"There's nothing out there!"

"We'll just have to find it!"

"THERE'S NOTHING TO FIND!" McMaster yelled at the top of his lungs before stopping to catch his breath, "There's nothing out there. This disease is only goin to get worse. This thing is mutating at an alarming rate, it's figuring _us_ out faster than we're figuring _it_ out. This is what takes us down, this is everyone's extinction event,"

Nothing was said after that. Just pure silence. Skipper looked around the room, people either had their heads down, or they were hugging each other, crying.

"You can't say that without even trying! There's got to be a place, somewhere! I'm not letting my team die here! Not like this!"

"You can't stop it from happening. It's inevitable. You're not going to find anything out there, it's better to stay here,"

"How the hell is it better to stay locked in a room full people who are suicidal? You're all going to be torn apart if we don't escape this room!"

"We have guns," Ray spoke, "We can fight those things, if we're willing to try. You all can't just give up like this!"

"You can't just keep us here," Marlene said, meeting the Rottweiler's eyes, "We have a little girl, whos parents died form this disease. Are you really going to kill an innocent little girl?" Marlene started to cry, "Her blood will be on your paws if you keep us in here!" Marlene burst into tears. Charlotte's eyes watered as she hugged Marlene even tighter.

"She's right. We're not going to just sit here and wait for the inevitable end," Kowalski defended.

"Let us try, for as long as we can," Private said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The Rottweiler looked back at Skipper, "Fine, Daniels?" his eyes stared at the ground.

"The air vents. If you can crawl through this vent, the you're home free," Daniels replied, taking the metal protector off the wall.

Skipper's face lightened up. He turned to face the canine.

"You heard the man, there's your chance," McMaster said.

"I'm jumping with joy," Skipper said sternly.

"Humph, there will be a time where you won't be,"

Skipper glared at the canine.

"Well?! Don't just stand there, eye fucking the guy, let go!" Ryan yelled.

"Oh God, Charlotte, grab my hand," Marlene said, grabbing the little girl's shivering paw.

"Private!"

"I'm coming! Skippah, come on!"

Ryan crouched and crawled through the narrow passage, Marlene and Charlotte followed behind. Kowalski helped Ray up the stairs to reach the vent, he put his crouches down and squeezed through the opening.

"Daniels, come on," Kowalski called to the fruit bat.

"I-I'm staying,"

This took Kowalski aback, "W-what?"

"Daniels, you don't mean that, do you?" Private waddled up to the mammal.

"I do, and I'm sorry. This vent leads to the weapons room, collect all the guns you can carry. I do wish you all the best of luck," Daniels said calmly.

Kowalski blinked at the mammal before saying, "Okay. Okay, well, it was great meeting you, Daniels," with that, Kowalski left the room.

Private ran up and hugged the bat. He was only about one-third taller than Private. The bat slowly returned the embrace, "I'll miss you," Private said, breaking away from the hug.

Skipper kept his eyes fixed on the canine. He looked the him with disgust. He wasn't worthy to call himself a leader. Nothing but a worthless mess of a man.

"Skip'er," Rico patted his leader's shoulder, signifying to him that it was time to leave this grave.

Before Skipper could turn, McMaster grabbed the flat-headed penguin's flipper. He brought him closer, only to give him a file that was on the desk behind him. Skipper gave a puzzled look, "Read it when you have the time," McMaster said.

Skipper turned and started to waddle out the view of the hundreds eyes that were piercing at him, "I've got nothing but time," those were the final words McMaster got from the leader before he disappeared in the dark, cramped vent.

The Rottweiler sighed, "Daniels, start full decontamination." McMaster gave his final order. The bat shuffled through a group of people before standing in front of the table with hundreds of buttons scattered all over the place. He reached into his pocket to retrieve a small key. He inserted the object into the keyhole and turned it..

* * *

><p>"Come on!" Kowalski yelled.<p>

"What's the hold up, up there?!" Skipper yelled.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Ryan snapped. There was another metal sheet that was blocking their way out. Ryan used his knife, trying to unscrew the nails that were keeping the sheet in place, "Wait, I-I think I got it!"

The German Shepherd pushed against the metal barrier, causing it to fall to the ground, "I got it!" he yipped. The sounds of sirens blared, all the lights were out, only to be replaced by red ones.

"Oh sh- we don't have much time! Hurry up!" Skipper barked through the loud blasts sounds of the sirens.

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" McMaster inquired.<p>

"They just entered the weapons room," Daniels replied.

"…Good," McMaster said. He looked up at the large LCD screen, there, a count down was ticking away their final minutes of existence.

Corbett walked up to the Rottweiler, tears running down her face. The room too, had flashing red lights.

"Are you sure this is the right move?" Corbett inquired.

McMaster stared down at the small Dachshund. "Of course it is," McMaster answered.

"I-I don't know. I don't know if my family's still out there, Herbert. I don't know if I made the right decision," Corbett cried.

McMaster pulled her in closer, giving the canine a warm embrace, "It's okay. Just close your eyes, it'll all be over soon." McMaster said his final words. Corbett laid her head on his chest, tears still running down her face. The warmth of his body made her feel safe. Just for a moment. For a minute. Her final minute of life.

* * *

><p>"GO!" Skipper commanded. Ryan busted the door that lead to the outside, open, wearing riot gear, making him look menacing. He threw his smoke grenade at the crowed of reanimated corpses. The small mechanism released the large cloud of the poisonous gas into the air. Ryan stepped out of the door and began firing his M16A2 at the large sea of the dead. Bodies collapsed and the sounds of growls escaped their mouths.<p>

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Skipper barked, firing his M16. Bullet flew, penetrating arms, legs, torsos, and heads. Everyone rushed out, all wearing riot gear. Everyone but, Charlotte and Ray were firing lead at the large undead crowd.

Skipper kept firing his gun. He shot on individual in the head, causing him to collapse. Only, when he did, it showed the mass horde of the dead rushing towards the fort a few miles from them.

"THE WOODS! HEAD TOWARDS THE WOODS!" Skipper ordered, running towards the dense forest. Venturing into the unknown.

Kowalski had Ray supported, while he fired his M16A4 with his other flipper. The kick back was good enough for him to handle. Ray had a duffle bag full of assault riffles, shotguns, and handguns. Rico was carrying the bag full of ammo that would support them for months.

Ryan threw another smoke grenade at them, trying aid them in escaping. It did help as they made a sharp left, deeper into the forest.

As they made their way through the sound of a large explosion caused them to fall to the ground. The ground shook violently. Skipper looked up to see the trees reflecting a shade of red. He turned around to see fire through the small cracks of the trees' leaves. The fort was gone, along with everyone in it.

"Come on!" Skipper ordered the shaken group. Skipper ordered the shaken group. They all followed as ordered. A few Runners were still behind them.

Together, they all left the scene. Left their sanctuary. Their beacon of hope. Their chance of getting everything back to normal. Now, all that was left was the ashes of those who chose to stay behind...

* * *

><p>"Erik? Erik, can you hear me?" Raymond called to the fruit bat. His one good eye slowly opened.<p>

"Ah, w-what the hell happened?" Erik inquired, lifting his head from the solid ground.

"Ringo. He took a swing at your face," Raymond looked over to the gray wolf who had his back leaned against the wall in the corner. His abdomen was bruised, but his fur was covering most of it, "Kyle's not doing well, he's been spitting out blood from time to time,"

"That son of a- where is that asshole?" Erik inquired, looking around the room.

"He's back inside, we heard some screaming from the inside. I'm don't think it was Tanya's,"

"What about Kelsi?"

"No, Naomi and Mia either. It had to be someone new, someone we haven't really go around to talk to,"

"Well, maybe it was- OW! My head, it really freaking hurts!" the bat proclaimed, reaching his tiny arms to his head, only to realize that they were tied together.

"I know, he hit you pretty hard. You're lucky he didn't mess up your eye socket." Trent spoke.

"It hurts like hell,"

"It looks like hell,"

Erik turned to the lemur, "Gee, thanks,"

"Sorry, besides that, how are you feeling?"

"I don't know, I feel very anxious, I feel like I'm about to throw up, my head's spinning, my chest feels like it's about to explode from something, and my eye's fucked up. Oh, and am starving," Erik finished.

"Well, you're not the only one," Raymond looked around the room, "We need to think of a plan to get out of here,"

"And how do you think we're going to succeed?" Trent inquired.

"What do you mean?" Raymond inquired.

"Well, for starters, they have guns, second, they're fucking insane, and third, how are we supposed to get to the shed without getting torn to bits by bullets? If we start a gun fight, we could attract Runners," Trent answered.

"Well, Mr. Genius, how do you propose we escape from her?" Raymond inquired, raising a brow.

"I say, one of us tries to sneak out of here, find weapons, better yet, a group, and he comes back with help. That way, if there's firing involved, and a group of Runners come, we have guns to protect ourselves when fleeing. Instead of running in blind,"

"But, who's willing enough to go outside, and risk getting caught by all these crazy fucks?" Raymond inquired.

Trent looked around, everyone in the room was paying attention, but no one was volunteering to go, "Working on it," Trent said, eyes meeting the ground.

* * *

><p>The group was huddled around the small fire. They would soon have to put the fire out for the risk of Runners.<p>

"Skipper, you coming?" Marlene called to the leader.

Skipper was deep in thought, staring at the file that McMaster gave him. The facts listed made his spine quake. His flippers were sweating. No. This can't be true. It can't!

"Skippah?" Private called.

Skipper turned to his team, "Uh, yeah, in a bit," Skipper said, closing the file and taking a deep breath.

He waddled towards the group. If they see what's inside, they'll panic. They might… no. He had to do something.

Skipper crumpled the file. As he got closer to the campsite, he tossed the file into the fire. Feeding it.

"What was that?" Kowalski inquired.

"Something to keep the fire going." Skipper answered.

Kowalski shrugged this off and continued staring into the sky. There was never this many stars back in New York, hell, come to think of it, there wasn't any stars back in New York.

Skipper sighed. He had to keep this a secret. He could do that, right?

* * *

><p>"Did you hear something?" Kelsi inquired.<p>

"Yeah, that sounded like.." Tanya started.

"A scream." Naomi said.

"That sounded like Nuka's" Piper said.

"You don't think-"

"No! That wasn't her! She's fine. They're both fine," Krystal said, even deep inside, her gut was telling her otherwise.

"Krystal, stop. I know that you can feel it too," Piper said to her sister.

"They're fine, okay?!" Krystal yelled.

"Krystal, calm down. I'm sure that they're fine." Tanya said.

"Then why was it a girl's scream?" Piper inquired.

"Shit,"

"Oh my God, Madison," Andrea quivered.

The girls looked through what ever opening in the shed to see Ringo walking out of the building. His paws were covered in blood. His chest and face as well. The look of bloodlust was on his face. And his smile. Oh, that smile. The most haunting smile you would ever get.

The coyote walked up to the small group. They all seemed to be wearing riot gear…

* * *

><p>In the woods, our heroes were wandering through the dense forest. All in their riot gear. Everyone was sweating profusely. Especially the penguins.<p>

Skipper brought down his Gerber Mark II down, destroying the brains of the squirrel. He sighed and collapsed.

"SKIPPER!" Ryan ran up to the leader.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Kowalski yelled.

"He just… fell!" Ryan answered.

"I-I'm alright.." Skipper tried to answer.

"It's the riot gear, his body must be melting in there." Ryan said.

"Well, penguins in the Georgian heat do not mix. Especially if the penguin is wearing riot gear," Kowalski said.

"No! Leave it, I can handle it, I just lost my footing." Skipper said, picking himself up from the topsoil.

"Are you sure?" Private inquired.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it," Skipper answered, sweat forming on his face, "Come on, we need to keep moving,"

"No, we need a place to rest," Marlene suggested.

"Well, all we're going to be doing is waste time on finding a place that isn't totally infested with Runners," Skipper said.

"If we don't stop to rest, we're going to dehydrate and topple over. "Lost your footing"? that's your body giving out. We could die if we don't stop and rest," Kowalski said, sweat dripping from his beak.

"Well, what should we do? We left all of our supplies back at the fort," Skipper said.

"Well, it help to take occasional breaks instead of overworking it," Kowalski said.

"He's right, we didn't even get some sleep. I've never been so tired in my life before," Ryan said, his tongue was hung from the side of his mouth.

"Alright, fine. But only for about five minutes. Or ten. Or fifteen," Skipper said.

"How about over there?" Private pointed on the opposite side of them, there, a picnic area was ahead. Stone tables and seats were scattered. A small building was standing near the tables It had a roof, so, it provided protection from the sun, which was good.

The building had what looked like a chimney. Smoke was billowing from it. A small generator was on the side, which was making a hum sound. It was probably still working which hopefully means that the place has air-conditioning.

"Good find, Private," Skipper said.

Private glowed, "Ah, well, you know,"

"Don't let it get to your head, soldier," Skipper said as he started waddling towards the picnic area.

"I hope there isn't anyone inside," Private said.

Skipper paused, "Get your guns ready,"

The group quickly walked through tree line. They were finally out of in the open. In front of them, a thick line of dried, dead leaves laid. Then, the side of the road.

Skipper looked both ways, "Go," Skipper ordered.

Everyone held their guns close to them. They looked like a SWAT team at work, busting a place for drugs. They all, actually looked pretty badass.

Skipper stopped at the corner of the building, looking around. Nothing. He slowly walked up to the front door. Thankfully, it was made of glass. Again, no one was inside.

Skipper walked back to his group, "All clear," he said.

Everyone made a sigh of relief as the cool air embraced their heated bodies. It was refreshing.

"This looks like some sort of shop," Kowalski said, placing his helmet on the front counter. Telling from the small wooden tables that had decorative mats that had sweets and small toys on top of them, this was a shop.

"They have food in the back!" Private said.

"FOOD!" Rico yelled as he rushed towards the shelves that were holding all sorts of chips, chocolates, and breads. He moved his flippers frantically, shoving all the goods into his mouth. Private stood there in horror and disgust.

"Slow down there, soldier. Save some for the rest of us," Skipper chuckled.

Ryan shifted through the small fridge filled with carbonated liquid sugar, "Oh my God, they have pineapple drinks!" he said, grabbing the bottle. He began drinking it, not moving from his spot, "Ahh, now that's refreshing," Ryan blissfully said.

Marlene was shifting through the small bags of potato chips before she found the one she was looking for, "Oyster flavored?" Skipper inquired in disgust.

"You've never tried some?" Marlene inquired, crumbs falling from her mouth.

"No, I'm not crazy," Skipper scoffed.

"C'mon, I know you want to try it," she said, holding the bag in front of his face. The putrid stench of the oysters was making his eyes water.

"No thanks,"

"Oh, I see, you're just a chicken,"

"Wow, that's really childish of you, Marlene,"

"Bawk, bawk, bawk," Marlene teased.

"Fine! Give me the stupid chips!" Skipper swiped them from the otter's paw.

Skipper hesitantly reached into the oily bag and grabbed a chip. He lifted it to his face. It looked and felt poisonous.

"I'm waiting," Marlene said, smiling and crossing her arms.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Skipper said. He turned back to the devilish looking chip. He flung in quickly into his mouth. The gag reflex. He felt his food from a couple days ago coming back up.

"So? How is it?" Marlene inquired.

Skipper swallowed hard, his food almost coming out, "I-" he paused, putting his flipper on his beak, "It's guh-great!" he said, trying to smile.

Marlene started to laugh hysterically. This could be their place. Their little abode for a little while. It's nice. There's enough food to last for at least two months. This could be it. Only, their fun was cut short to the sound of a car pulling up next to the shop.

Everyone stayed quiet. Skipper grabbed his gun. He looked at Ryan, signaling for him to follow.

He looked through the window, nothing. No one. Then, the sound of car doors opening was heard. Skipper lowered his head. He walked back to his team.

"Me and Ryan are going to check these person or, people out. If we're not back here in two minutes, you come straight out. You got it?" Skipper inquired.

"I want to come with you," Marlene said.

"No, it's too dangerous," Skipper answered. She nodded.

"The rest of you, stay here. We can't be too certain that these people are friendly," Skipper said. Everyone nodded, "Alright, let's go,"

Skipper slowly walked towards the door, gun in flipper. He closed in on the door. He slowly pushed it open, half expecting a man with a rifle popping out of the corner and shooting his head off, half expecting someone from the fort to pop up.

He waddled to the corner of the building, scanning the area. All there was, was a black truck. The engine was still running. Skipper and Ryan quickly ran towards the black truck, their guns pointed at the vehicle. Strangely, all the doors were wide open.

"Check the trunk," Skipper whispered to the German Shepherd. He nodded and ran towards the trunk.

Skipper waddled to the passenger's side of the truck. He searched inside. Nothing. The vehicle was empty.

Ryan looked over to see piles of wire, hacksaws, and power tools loaded in the back. Were these people construction workers? He was about to signal Skipper until something caught his eye, a small first aid kit.

Ryan's face lit up. He reached for the small bag.

"Hey, Skipper-"

"Don't even think about it, buddy," a man said behind him. He felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his head.

Skipper looked over to see the event take place.

"Ryan-!"

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" the click of the gun stopped Skipper in his tracks.

Behind him, another man pointed his pistol at Skipper's head.

"Wow, these riot gear would really come in handy back at base," one said.

"Hey, guys, I found this one sneaking out of the shop!" a person behind them said, holding Marlene.

Skipper's eyes widened.

"Let me go!" she squirmed.

"Oh, Ringo's really going to like her," another said.

"Let her go, now," Skipper ordered.

"Like that's happening," the same person said.

"Let her go, NOW!" Skipper barked.

The man holding Marlene took out his pistol and pointed it at her head, "Hey, jackass. If you want your girlfriend back, you get your feathery ass in that truck,"

Skipper glared at him. He would tear that man apart if it wasn't for the man behind him.

"Let's go, dog." the man said, shoving Ryan inside the truck.

"It's your choice," the man said.

Skipper slowly waddled towards the truck. The man let Marlene go, still pointing his gun at her, "Move it." he commanded.

Skipper got inside. Marlene followed.

The men climbed inside, only to hear the sound of a door opening.

"SKIPPER!" Kowalski called out. He raised his gun and started firing at the truck.

"Fuck! DRIVE!" the man ordered.

"Kowalski, stop! You could shoot him!" Ray yelled.

Kowalski stopped, the truck sped away. Off into the distance. Gone. A fire built deep inside him.

Kowalski turned around, and waddled inside the shop. Ray followed.

Kowalski grabbed his helmet from the counter and placed it on his head.

"Kowalski," Ray called. He ignored him, "Kowalski!" Ray yelled.

Kowalski grabbed his gun, Ray was blocking his way out.

"Kowalski, what are you doing?" Private inquired, shaking from the events.

"I'm going to make them regret ever fucking with us," he replied coldly. With that, Kowalski stormed out of the shop. Only leaving the others behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, that happened. So, what's to come about all of this? I think you have an idea. Ringo's group is armed, Skipper's team is armed. A battle? For a season finale? Maybe. Two more parts. Until next time...<strong>


	24. Endless: Part Three

**Here is Part 3! The last part will be out soon-ish. Yay!**

* * *

><p>Skipper sat there, staring at the world that was zipping past him. How did he end up here? How could he have let this happen? They're screwed because of him. This is all his fault. He's been losing it since the start. This world. This world is making him weak. He didn't want to show his emotions to his team but, deep inside, he was terrified.<p>

He _is_ terrified.

The only think that he can think of is the safety of his team. But, he failed. He failed them. If only… no. He failed them. And with that file, their safety is questionable. Their _survival_ is questionable.

_What the hell are you thinking?! You're a leader! You're not supposed to feel anything. You do what you have to do. C'mon, Skipper, you've been through this before. You've gotten out of these situations, you just need to execute. These guys don't stand a chance against your team. Stay focused. Hey. Hey. HEY!_

"HEY!" the coyote kept pushing the flat-headed penguin, "stop thinking for a second, will you? We're here." the coyote smiled.

* * *

><p>The scientist kept running. His feet were tired. The lack of food in his stomach was going to be the death of him. If he doesn't stop, he'll topple over, crash beak first into the pavement. But, that didn't stop him, he just kept running. He could feel his legs shaking. They were begging for oxygen. But at the same time, adrenaline was present. The thought of being without a leader was… no. He has to keep running. Any unnecessary thoughts will only slow him down.<p>

Behind him, the rest of the gang were trying to catch up with the strategist. All trying not to collapse under their weight or tripping over themselves. They were all were exhausted.

"K-Kowalski!" Ryan called out to the strategist.

"'Walski!" Rico yelled.

Kowalski didn't listen. He blocked out the voice. He only focused on what was important. He wasn't aware of what was coming up. He stopped in his tracks. There he stood, dumbfounded. The road split into two. Rage soon lurked out of the corner of his chest, the more he was staring at the fork in the road.

"Kowalski, oh thank heavens, you've stopped," Private panted, before collapsing on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ray barked.

"I'm going after them, what does it look like I'm doing?!" the brainiac snapped.

"No, what?! you're doing is going to get yourself killed. Have you put any thought into this?!"

"I don't have to! All we're doing is wasting time! If it weren't for this fork in the road, I would of caught up to them by now!"

"And what would you do if these people reached their camp?"

"We do what ever we can to rescue them!"

"Ah, yes, a deranged scientist, a crazed penguin, two fucking kids and a cripple. The perfect fucking rescue team!"

Kowalski didn't reply to that. He just glared at the lemur. He didn't want to believe it, but he was right. How on earth would they execute this, without them being executed?

"Look, if we're going to rescue them, we need to work together, not go running off into the unknown. You're a scientist, you should know that,"

"You're right. How we proceed is the question,"

"Well, you're the smart one,"

Kowalski took some time thinking. But, he had to be quick, they were losing precious time.

"We should surprise them, an ambush. But the only way to really plan is to have a thorough look at their base, that's if we can find it before sundown,"

"Well, with my injured leg, it'll take some time. We also have to rest, just in case we do have to rely on weapons. We don't want to head into a fight we don't have the energy to fight,"

"What about the fork in the road?" Charlotte inquired.

"It's hard to say, I propose that we take the left,"

"I hope you're right.

"Me too. C'mon, we're wasting daylight."

* * *

><p>The coyote dragged Skipper out of the car. He landed on his chest. A small cloud of dirt flew into the air, causing him to cough.<p>

"Skipper-!" Marlene called.

"Don't move." a man placed his blade against the otter's neck.

"Come on! Get up!" the coyote grunted, trying to pick up the penguin. He finally got him to sit up straight. They were facing the front of a small building.

"You guys ware really going to like this place." one man said.

They kept their eyes on the front doors. What kind of people were they? Are they treating this as a show?

Skipper looked around. Nothing but dirt, trees, and clear skies. The people? They all looked male. Not one female. Most of them were either feline or canine, taken that they populate most of the planet. A bird here and there. Then, something caught his eye. He used the one eye that wasn't tainted with dirt, and tried to focus on the person. It was something orange. A bright orange… something. An orange jumpsuit. Inmates.

Then, out of nowhere, the front doors opened. Out came… another coyote. Are coyotes common in these areas? Wait… is that…

A bloodied knife laid in his paws. His paws were drenched in the red liquid. Skipper looked at his face, only to be greeted with a sinister smile. That smile sent shivers down his spine. He could just feel the others feeling the same.

"Oh, what? This? Yeah, not the most welcoming first impression," he smiled.

"What do you want from us?" Ryan inquired.

"What I want from you? Hmm. What do I want from you? Hold on, let me think about this. Well, there is the riot gear that you're wearing. That could be a start," Ringo said.

Ryan turned to Skipper, he nodded.

"Strip 'em, boys,"

"Hey! Keep your dirty paws to yourself!" Marlene yelled.

"Sorry, these guys haven't had a piece in ages. You see, we're all-"

"Ringo! This guy's a cop!" one man said, pushing Skipper to the ground.

"Motherfu- Well, this conversation, as it was short, has to come to an end," Ringo said, pulling out his Glock.

"No! Wait!" Marlene pleaded.

"Well, would ya looky here, penguins' got a girlfriend," Ringo chuckled, pointing his handgun at Skipper's head.

"Don't kill him. You all look like you were all inmates. How about you all take your time with him? Really take your anger out," Marlene suggested. Skipper gave her a look.

"Hmm, now, I do love the fact that I can end this all, right now. But, a much slower death does seem rather pleasing. Alright, but, you have to do a little something for me, if you know what I mean," Ringo said.

Marlene swallowed hard. "A-Anything," she said, shakily.

"You've convinced me, little lady. Send them inside, take her to the shed with the others,"

"OTHERS?!" Marlene screamed.

"GET THEM OUTTA HERE!" Ringo barked.

"Marlene you don't have to do this!" Skipper yelled as he was dragged inside the building.

"She's doing the right thing. Maybe not for her, but for me," Ringo chuckled, "So, do you come here often? Of course fucking not. Why is she still here? Someone, get her out of here! She's got claws!" Ringo shouted while Marlene was waving her arms frantically at him.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?" the Brown Thrasher frowned.<p>

Negan brought down the machete, spraying blood in all directions. Christian averted his eyes from the bloody mess, "Jesus, I'm gonna be sick," he gagged.

"Nah, once you get over the smell, you'll get used to it. I know it's fucked up, but this is our only option," Negan said, taking another swing at the reanimated corpse.

"I'm a bird, I should be able to avoid this!" he said, still looking the other way.

"So, we're separating now?" Negan stopped hacking away at the Runner.

"You know what I mean,"

"Not really, argh. Okay I think we've got enough blood," the Red Husky said, panting.

Christian turned around. There was twice as much blood and guts on the soil. He felt his stomach churn and his throat quivered as his lunch came up, splattering all over a small patch of Cherokee Roses.

"Oh, come on," Negan said, disgusted.

"You're fucking crazy," Christian spat, wiping off the small trail of saliva from his beak.

"Who isn't these days? Now, get over here, you can't be seen," Negan said while holding a kidney in one paw and the liver in the other.

The atrocious odor was whipping at Christian's nostrils, causing his stomach to reject more of his lunch.

"We didn't even eat _that_ much, how much vomit can a bird like you even _hold_?" Negan inquired.

"Okay, okay, I'm done. I think," Christian whimpered.

He stepped closer to the canine, staring at the two organs that were in the mutt's paws.

Negan reached out, but the bird hesitated, "Look, I know this is going to suck, but it's the only way we're going to last, while they're working on a cure for this thing."

"Yeah, okay, lay it on me." Christian sighed.

The Red Husky smeared the organs on the shivering bird's chest.

"God, this smells so disgusting,"

"You think you have it bad? I'm a dog, my sense of smell is much stronger than yours,"

"Aaaaarrgh, this is soooo grossss!" Christian groaned.

"Just don't think about it. Think of some thing nice, anything," Negan suggested as he applied another layer of guts on the bird.

"How can I think of anything but blood being lathered on my feathers? And why the kidney and liver? Why not the heart or something small? Hell, why not just stop doing this?" Christian complained.

"I picked the kidney and liver because they were easier to cut out. Also, they hold a shit load of blood," Negan answered. He pressed the kidney against the bird's feathers. Blood oozed out of the flesh like a sponge, "See?"

"Stop that! That's g-grugh," Christian gagged.

"Don't you dare throw up on me, bird," Negan stepped back.

"No, I think I got it. Are we done here?" he inquired.

"Nope, we still need the back and your wings," the canine answered.

"Oh, God. Just, get it over it," Christian sighed, spreading his small wings.

Negan applied the gore on his feathers, "How the hell did you discover this, let alone applied it yourself?" Christian inquired.

"I didn't apply it per se, it was applied by the Geek I killed. I only found out they couldn't see me when I encountered a horde of them," Negan answered.

"Jesus, you sound like some sort of badass,"

"Well, I'm not. I have problems, I had a family, friends, a daughter. I'm just another person getting through this point of time. I'm not perfect, not even close. Just another average Joe,"

"That's covered head to tail in gore. Yeah, very average,"

"Turn around," Negan ordered.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Christian inquired.

"Yeah, I do," Negan answered, he pulled out his machete that he found in a house, back at that small town that they found.

The low hum was getting louder my the second. It sounded like a truck that really needed repairing. Sure enough, a truck passed by the road they were facing. Luckily, they were in the density of the trees.

"Just a truck, nothing special," Negan said, placing his machete back in his sheath.

"Hmm, I wonder who they are. They must be heading towards Trent's cabin," the bird inquired.

"Who?"

"Trent. He owns a cabin real estate building not far from here," Christian answered.

"Alright, now, where were we?" Negan inquired as he began digging inside the carcass again.

"Goddamn it, I thought you would have forgotten about that."

"Nope, now turn around."

* * *

><p>"Let go of me!" Marlene struggled to escape the grip of the male feline, her feet dragged along the dry, hot sand as she got closer to the wooden shed.<p>

An inmate in an orange jumpsuit, opened the door, "Fine, there, you're free!" the cat growled as he shoved Marlene inside the dark, ominous shed. She fell on her head with a thud, "You all get along now, tonight's a big night!" the cat chuckled as he slammed the door shut. The sounds of a metal chain rustling against the door was heard, followed by a locking sound.

"Oh, my God, are you alright?" a vampire bat rushed over to the otter.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," Marlene answered, rubbing her head.

"We heard screaming from inside the building, did you get to see who was in there before they dragged you in here?" a lemur with a Russian accent inquired.

"No, why?"

"The bastard has our friends locked inside. We can't find a way out of here." the lemur answered.

"The screams came from a girl, the only other girls with us, are children," a wolf with white fur continued, "And they're inside that building. Then we saw the blood stains on his fur, that's when we knew he must of…" she trailed off.

"Oh, my.." Marlene gasped.

"Here, let me help you up," the vampire bat helped the otter on her feet, "My name is Kelsi."

"I'm Tanya, that's Naomi, Krystal, Piper, Molly, and Andrea," Tanya introduced the rest of her friends.

"I'm Marlene,"

"We overheard that that penguin is a cop. Is that true?" Piper inquired.

"It is,"

"Where ya from? Your accent tells me that you're not a local," Tanya inquired.

"We're from New York City," Marlene answered.

"Damn, all the way up North?" Krystal said.

Marlene nodded, "How is it up there?

"It's not doing any better than here. I'd say it's much worse since we have a lot more people in square density," Marlene answered.

"Guys, as much I want to keep chatting about nonsense, we need to come up with a plan to escape, like, now!" Andrea interrupted.

"She's right, if we're going to get out of here, unharmed, we're gonna have to work together," Tanya said, she turned to the Golden Retriever cowering in the corner, "All of us," she said. Molly nodded, nervously.

"Alrighty, then. So, what's the plan?" Piper inquired.

* * *

><p>Kowalski placed the binoculars over his eyes, "Yep, that fire. Probably their camp,"<p>

"How long until we get there?" Ray inquired.

"Probably by seven o'clock. Let's just hope that they're still breathing and are not walking amongst the dead," Kowalski said, throwing the strap of the binoculars over his shoulder. He jumped down the roof of the Saturn they found unattended.

"Ray?" Rico inquired.

"Of course, can't rule _him_ out. Where's Private and Charlotte?" Kowalski inquired.

"They're out playing in the lake a couple yards from here. You should rest, you've been at it for hours," Ray insisted.

"You're right, only because I'm going to need the energy to fight if it comes to that. You guys take watch?" Kowalski inquired.

Rico nodded.

"Sure. Hey, you called them "the dead"," Ray smiled.

"I really don't care what they should be called right now. I gave all that up last night. Well, I should go check on them, maybe go put me feet in the water," Kowalski said.

"Have fun, I'll be here. If anything goes South, holler." Ray said, stepping towards the vehicle.

"See you in a bit." Kowalski smiled.

* * *

><p>"You think we'll be able to get out of this?" Charlotte asked the young penguin, shuffling through the small pebbles in the riffling water.<p>

"I don't know. Maybe, thinking about the people we've killed just pains me. I mean, those people had lives, a family, a job, maybe even a son or a daughter. Now, they're just… gone. In a matter of days," Private answered.

"You think we'll be able to find a place to live in?"

"Well, we found that small picnic area in a matter of a day, I think we'll be able to find another place,"

"Then it was taken by those people," Charlotte answered.

"Yeah, but we'll find somewhere. Soon, hopefully." Private sighed.

"What are you two talking about?" Kowalski interrupted.

"Nothing special. Charlotte's just curious," Private answered.

"Curious about what?" Kowalski said, sitting down next to Private.

"I was asking when we'll be able to find a place to live in," Charlotte answered.

"Well, it could take a couple days, weeks, months. We were lucky to find that little shop when we did. Otherwise, we would have died from dehydration and heat stroke. Sorry for being too truthful," Kowalski said.

"S'okay. Do you think that Marlene and the rest of them are safe?" Charlotte inquired.

"I hope so, kiddo," Kowalski sighed.

"What if these people had a camp, would we take it for ourselves?"

"No, if the place is inhabited by someone or, a group, we'll just have to ask. In this case, we have to rescue the rest of our team, and be out of there as soon as possible,"

"Okay. So, we won't-"

A gunshot was heard, "Kowalski!" the lemur called out.

"Was that Ray?" Private inquired.

"Oh, no." Kowalski got up and started rushing towards their vehicle. Private and Charlotte followed.

* * *

><p>"Look, we don't want any trouble, we're just passing through," a bird reasoned.<p>

"Bullshit, you're with those guys that took our people!" Ray yelled, pointing his assault rifle at the two creatures. Rico held is Glock at the small bird.

Kowalski sprang out from the trees, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on?!"

"These are the fucks that took Skipper!" Ray accused.

"We don't even know who the fuck you're talking about, chimp!" the Red Husky barked, pointing his bow at Ray. Arrow ready to impale skull.

"Let's just put down our weapons, we can talk about this," Kowalski suggested.

"Tell your friend here to drop his gun," the canine said.

"After you, faggot," Ray spat at him.

"Ray, you're not helping!" Kowalski barked.

"We should just go, Negan," the bird said, putting his gun back in his holster.

""Negan"? What kind of a name is that?" Ray insulted.

"You're not really a drop of sunshine either, "Ray"" Negan said.

Rico growled, keeping his aim at the bird who held his wings up in the air.

"Ray, you need to control yourself!" Kowalski snapped.

"Look at these guys! They're covered in blood! Open your eyes, bird!" Ray spat.

"The blood hides us from _them_," Christian said.

"Really?" Kowalski inquired, intrigued.

"Huh?" Rico grunted.

"You can't be serious?" Ray said, still holding up his weapon.

"Ray," Charlotte called.

"Yes, really," Negan answered.

"How have you approached this?" Kowalski inquired.

Negan put down his bow, "Hordes. Hundreds of them," he answered.

"And it worked?!" Kowalski inquired.

"Well, we're still breathing, aren't we? They can't smell you, they can't see you," Negan answered.

"Fascinating.." Kowalski placed his flipper on Ray's rifle. After exchanging looks, Ray and Rico put down their weapons, finally.

"You happen to see a black truck going down this road, have you?" Private inquired.

"Oh, yeah. The motherfucker zipped way passed the speed limit. Is that the truck your short tempered friend was talking about?" the canine inquired.

"Yeah. Do you know where it went?" Kowalski inquired.

"Yeah, we can take you," Christian said. Negan glared at him.

"Really? Could you do that?"

"Y-Yeah, we can," Christian answered. Negan continued to shoot arrows at him.

"That's really kind of you," Kowalski said.

"Yeah, yeah. So, are we going to stand here, or are we going to go save your friends?" Negan inquired.

"Let's get going," Kowalski ordered.

Private and Charlotte climbed inside, followed by Rico and Ray and his crutches. Negan and Christian climbed inside, smearing blood and chunks of guts all over the seats. The car started to wreak of death. Kowalski looked at the Husky sitting in the passenger's seat next to him. Blood was all over the leather seat.

"What?" the dog inquired.

"Nothing." Kowalski sighed, turning the engine over and stepped on the gas petal.

* * *

><p>"Ow! Easy on the fucking paw!" Ringo winced at the pressure the puffin applied to the injured limb.<p>

"Sorry, I'm just really on edge right now," Icy answered.

"About me killing that little girl?" the coyote inquired.

"Yes," Icy answered.

"Eh, I don't blame you. I know I would flip out too if someone I knew was killed right in front of me too. And, you don't want to see me flip out, it's not pretty. Heh-heh," Ringo chuckled.

He gets worse?! Icy thought to himself. Madison was still sitting under the desk. Staring blankly at the outline of a young penguin's body in a dried pool of blood.

* * *

><p>"Almost got it!" Mia said, picking the lock though the small opening between wooden planks from the other side of the door.<p>

"Take your time, we don't want to loose that thing," Tanya said.

"I-I think I got it!" Mia yelped.

"Really?!" Kelsi jumped.

Mia pushed open the door, peaking out through the small opening, "I think the coast is clear," Mia said.

"Okay, like we planned, you make a break for the woods," Tanya reminded her.

"Yeah, I got it," Mia answered, slipping out of the door.

"Good luck," Naomi said.

Everyone ran towards the right side of the shed, peeping through the openings of the planks of wood.

"Oh, my God, I think she's home free," Piper said.

"HEY! STOP!" someone barked.

Mia started running at full speed now.

"MIA! HURRY UP!" Tanya yelled at the top of her lungs.

"COME ON MIA!"

"MIA!" everyone yelled. Their hearts were racing.

"NO!" Mia cried. Her legs were aching.

The man tackled her at full speed. "NO!" Mia cried out before landing hard on the ground.

"NO!" the girls screamed.

"NO! LET ME GO!" Mia cried, squirming, as she was dragged back towards the shed.

* * *

><p>"Ringo, one of the girls tried to escape!" a bird came rushing inside the lobby.<p>

"THOSE LITTLE FUCKS! I'LL FUCKING END HER!" Ringo barked, leaping out of his chair.

"MIA!" Tanya cried out.

The man threw her on the ground in front of the shed.

Ringo busted through the doors, "WHERE IS THAT LITTLE BITCH?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Over here!" the man answered.

"NO! PLEASE!" Mia pleaded.

Ringo walked towards the shed, eyes full of fury and bloodlust, "You think you can go under my watch?! HUH? YOU FUCKING THINK YOU CAN LEAVE THIS PLACE?!" Ringo was about a yard away.

"Ringo, don't touch her!" Tanya pleaded.

"Please-" Ringo brought down his fist down on Mia's left cheek. She toppled over.

"NO!" Kelsi cried. Ringo's assistants kept them inside. Marlene sat there in complete shock and dismay.

Ringo continued to bring down all his fury on Mia's body. Mia's face was swelling from the multiple punches from the coyote.

Blood once again stained the coyote's paws. He had to make the "lesson" short because of the cuts and bruises he had from earlier.

"That should teach you. THAT SHOULD TEACH ALL OF YOU!" Ringo yelled.

Mia coughed out blood. Her left eye was swollen. Her nose was broken. Her eye socket was cracked, and her ribs were bruised.

Ringo stood up, looking over his victim, "Fucking cunt," Ringo said, "I want a fucking guard right here!" he ordered.

The man who tackled her dragged her inside the shed. The girls crying from the traumatizing event that took place.

"Fucking bitch made me fuck up my paws again. Hopefully I'll be able to use them for tonight. You fucks are really going to enjoy tonight." Ringo said before leaving.

* * *

><p><strong>The next chapter will be the end of this season. Get ready...<strong>


	25. Endless: Finale

**Well, here we are. The season finale. The actual finale. It was an amazing nine months. I would like to personally thank everyone who took part in this (you'll be getting a PM soon), and thank the people who took the time and read this cliché of a story. Especially the people who favored and followed this, you have a special place in my feels organ. Yes, we all have the feels organ inside us all.**

**I won't bother you anymore, here is... "Endless". Enjoy the bloodbath. **

* * *

><p>Along a long, dim corridor, a flat-headed penguin and his teammate walked along with a few inmates, escorting them to their new room. Skipper had cuts and bruises scattered all over his body from his earlier encounter with what these people called "justice".<p>

Ryan was in bad shape as well. His fur was matted, bloodied, and, in some parts, missing. Specks of blood took the place where the stands of fur once grew.

Their flippers and paws were tied tightly together to prevent them from escaping. Which, right now, would have to wait, since they had guns pointed behind them. They would have to play their sick, twisted games for now, until the rest of them showed up. The rest of them..

How are they to escape this? Kowalski is probably loosing his mind with the fact that their leader was kidnapped. Rico is probably planning how he'll be able to blow this place sky-high. Then there's Ray and he won't be much help with his condition. Private might. Sure, he's young, but the boy's got heart. Charlotte on the other hand, is questionable. She didn't seem to feel an ounce of depression, taken that her parents are gone, since Fort Benning.

Put all these people together, and what do you get? An inefficient rescue team. Let's just hope they can figure something out. They will, but will it be too late? Marlene just bought him so much time. Marlene.

Who knows what unspeakable things they're doing with that poor, naïve sea otter. He did mention "others". What did he mean by that? Are these criminals keeping people here like animals?

They were getting closer to the end of the hallway. The deeper they walked down the corridor, the more blood was seen splattered on the walls. These people were probably tortured or dead.

One walked ahead of them to open the door, revealing the injured animals. All had their appendages tied. They all looked terrible. Bruises, cuts, black eyes. They had it all.

The men behind them shoved them inside, "Rest up, you're all gonna need it for tonight!" the bird chuckled before shutting the door.

Before Skipper turned to face the people who were trapped, he was already bombarded with questions.

"Did you happen to see another wolf by any chance?"

"Did you see a couple of lemurs?"

"Do you know what happened to our friends?"

Ryan sat down on the cold, concrete floor. Skipper joined him, "Woah, woah, woah, calm yourselves," the penguin said.

"Sorry, but, we just need to know whether or not our comrades are safe," a lemur with a Russian accent began, "Did he mention a women by the name of "Tanya"?"

"Or "Naomi"?" the grey wolf wheezed.

"If we're talking about the same _he_, then I'm sorry to be the bringer of bad news, we haven't heard or seen anyone else _but_ inmates. This place is infested with them," Skipper answered.

"Inmates, I fucking knew it," a fruit bat spoke.

"Skipper," Ryan called to the leader. They both stared at the fruit bat.

"What?" the mammal inquired.

"Sorry, you… you just look like someone we used to know," Skipper sighed.

"Hey, instead staring blankly at each other, we need to come up with a plan before nightfall," the Russian lemur spoke.

"No need to worry, my boys are already on the case," Skipper answered.

"Your "boys"?" a male penguin inquired.

"We have a small group of people not far from here. We're heavily armed. Well, not so much now,"

"Oh my God, are you serious?!" the Russian lemur's face illuminated. Even though he didn't know this guy, he's willing to accept anything to escape this hell hole.

"Yes. We just got out of a little incident. But, they'll be able to pull it together and get us out of this," Skipper replied.

"Who's in your team if you don't mind me asking?" the fruit bat inquired.

"That's classified," Skipper answered.

"What the hell do you mean, "classified"? Are you some kind of CIA agent or some shit?" the fruit bat inquired, "Please tell me you're with the CIA,"

"We're New York P.D."

"New York? What the hell are you guys doing down here?" the male penguin inquired.

"It's a long story," Skipper answered, "But I will tell you this, we are going to escape from here." he said confidently. Yet, he can't shake the small feeling of dismay. Right now, he's just agreeing with these guys. He can't trust them. He just barely met them.

"Well, since we're all going to be getting out of here together, we might as well introduce ourselves, my name is Raymond. The fruit bat over there is Erik, the wolf is Kyle, and the penguin next to me is Trent." Raymond said.

"So, that covers us, what's you guy's names?" Erik inquired.

"I'm Skipper, this is Ryan, we met back in New Jersey," Skipper answered.

"New Jersey, I thought you guys were from New York," Trent inquired.

"We've been all over." Skipper replied.

"Damn, I'm really going to miss my pineapple drink. My entire life revolved around that sugary liquid," Ryan sighed.

"Some life." Raymond said.

"Hey, if you ever had a drink, let alone a sip, you'll be hooked on the stuff." Ryan said.

"So, rescue team. When do you think that's coming?" Erik inquired.

"Well, it could take a while. Hours maybe," Skipper answered.

_This is good. We're one step closer to our safety. One step closer to Tanya._ Raymond smiled. Though, still couldn't help that little feeling creeping out of the corner of his mind. He couldn't put his finger on it.

* * *

><p>A couple of miles south, our rescue team made a short stop in front of a cottage. A small wooden table was used to sort out all their weapons and ammunition. "Is this all you have?" Kowalski inquired, an AR in his flippers, checking the accuracy of the weapon.<p>

"For the thousandth time, yes. We didn't get to clear out most of the town. We were losing daylight and we needed to keep moving," Negan answered.

"Keep moving? Keep moving where?" Kowalski inquired, picking up a SKS.

"Fort Benning," Christian answered.

Kowalski stopped. He could tell that the others did as well, "I heard that that place fell,"

"Bullshit," Negan spat.

"We drove all the way over there, only to find it infested with Runners," Kowalski said.

"Damn, well there goes our plan," Christian sighed.

"Well… there's gotta be another place," the canine said.

"When our people are free, that's when we'll begin our search," Kowalski answered.

"Fine. So, you never really told us how you guys got here in the first place," Negan said.

"What makes you think we're not from Georgia?" Private inquired.

"I didn't,"

Kowalski quickly slapped the young officer's head, "Oh, sorry about that," Private apologized, rubbing his head.

"Well?" Christian inquired.

"When we're united again, I'll be able to answer all the questions you have that are tearing you apart. How does that sound?" Kowalski inquired.

"That sounds like a shit deal," Christian answered.

"Look, we all just want to save our friends, is that too much to ask for?"

"That's asking a whole lot, Kowalski," Negan replied, "The SKS is a little battered up, but if you keep it as straight as you can, it should be able to get the job done," Negan said.

"We should probably get back to the car," Private said, putting his Glock back inside his holster.

"Right, Negan, how much more?" Kowalski inquired, picking up two MKs.

"Not much, we'll be there by nightfall." Negan answered, throwing his bag of arrows over his shoulder.

"Great, all this waiting is killing me." Kowalski sighed.

* * *

><p>Ringo held out his paw. His skin was peeling and blood coated his matted fur. His paws should have been sprained by now. How the hell is he still holding up?<p>

"So, third time's the charm, heh," Ringo chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess," Icy answered nervously.

"What? Was it something I said?" Ringo inquired.

"Well it isn't the fact that you killed another one of my friends," Icy answered.

"I didn't fucking kill her. I'm surprised the little shit survived, to be honest. And don't ever talk to me like that. I let it slide the first time, but next time I won't be so easy," Ringo threatened, wincing at the clear liquid that pierced his raw flesh.

"S-sorry about that," Icy apologized. Why the hell is he apologizing?

"No, it's alright. It only hurts for a little while. So, did you have a little someone special back home?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, a girlfriend. C'mon, you have had to of had a piece of ass before all this," Ringo chuckled.

"Uh, no. I'm homosexual, I don't do girls. No pun intended," Icy replied.

"Holy shit, really?! Huh, who would have thought?"

Icy kept his eyes on the bastard's paw. He didn't pay attention to almost half of what he was saying. All that clogged his mind was Madison. She hadn't moved since… Nuka's passing. Icy shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Woah, you alright there?" Ringo inquired, placing his paw on the puffin's back.

The puffin wanted to break his arm right there, "Yeah, I just got sidetracked on something," _Don't you ever fucking touch me_. Icy hissed in his mind.

"Well, that's great to hear, buddy," Ringo sat back down on his chair.

_I'm not your buddy, you sick fuck!_ Icy snapped.

"So, I was thinking," Ringo continued to spit out venom, "tonight is a day that ought to be put on all the fucking calendars, for tonight is the night we're all going to reveal our true selves," Ringo said.

"W-What do you mean by that?" Icy inquired.

"Gladiator fight. It's fucking perfect! And with that cop, it'll be all the more better!" Ringo was jumping up and down in his seat.

"Keep still. Give me your other paw," Icy ordered.

"And you get to pick who'll be the first ones to go head to head,"

Icy's heart skipped a beat, "You want me to do what?"

"You've been with these people long enough. You pick your toughest member and we'll put him against that cop. Whataya say about that?" Ringo smiled.

"I- I can't," Icy replied.

"Well, that's a shame. I really thought we were getting to know each other better. Becoming friends. Well, it'll be a loss, I guess," Ringo sighed, pulling out his M1911 and pointed it at Icy.

"Wait, NO!" Icy pleaded, hiding behind his flippers.

"You're right. You're a doctor! How could I have been so foolish?! I'll keep you only because of your medical skills. But ONLY of your medical skills," Ringo said, placing his gun back inside his holster.

The puffin sighed, his heart racing.

"… "Thank you, Ringo!"!" Ringo imitated.

"I kind of wished you did pull the trigger." Icy said in despair.

"Damn, that's… uh, I'm gonna go, thanks for the help with my paws. Just, don't try to kill yourself, okay? If you need anything, I'll be at the shed. I feel like apologizing to a curtain someone." Ringo said, leaving the front lobby.

Icy peeked over the counter, he was finally gone. He rushed towards the small Labrador, "Madison? Madison, can you hear me?"

The canine kept staring blankly at the spot the where young penguin was murdered.

"Madison, honey, you need to pull it together. Your mom might be in danger," Icy said, placing his flippers on the canine's shoulders.

She didn't even blink. Witnessing the murder must of messed up her conscience, "We're all in danger," she finally spoke.

This took Icy by surprise, he did not expect that kind of answer from a little girl her age, "But Ringo has a thing for her, and I think she might have a thing for you too,"

"Are we going to die?" Madison inquired, tears falling from her face.

"No, I promise you that,"

"Just like you promised Nuka?"

Icy's heart broke in half. Tears started to form in his eyes, "Come here." Icy gave the little girl an embrace, she returned the hug. Together they sat there in their own tears. Scared to death about what was to come. Soon enough, they'll find out. It's inevitable.

* * *

><p>Mia awoke with everyone around her. The swelling from her face lowered, but the cuts and bruises still marked their territory, painfully.<p>

"Mia, how are you feeling?" Tanya inquired, grabbing the lemur's hands.

"My face, it- it's numb," she replied. Or she thought she did. All that came up were small mumbles.

"I don't understand her, oh God, this is all my fault," Tanya shamefully said.

"No, it isn't anyone's fault. It's Ringo's, we're going to die here if we stay here any longer," Piper said.

"Good luck getting past the guard, you try anything, they will shoot you. I'm pretty sure Ringo made that clear," Naomi said.

"Yeah, all we have in here is air and bricks." Andrea said.

"I just wonder how the boys are doing. Your friends, who are they? You never did tell us who they were," Kelsi inquired.

"The penguin is Skipper and the German Shepherd is Ryan. Skipper's a cop. Or, was. I'm scared of what he'll do to him-" the sound of chains rubbing against the door cut Marlene off. The door opened to reveal a vile hound.

"Hello, ladies," Ringo introduced himself. Mia cowered in fear.

"Haven't you've done enough damage for one fucking day?" Krystal inquired, steam billowing from her nostrils.

"I came to say that I'm sorry about what happened earlier,"

"You don't get to say that. How fucking dare you?!" Krystal yelled.

"Hey, you'd ought to shut your mouth before I send lead flying," Ringo warned.

Out of fear, she quickly sat down next to the trebling lemur, "Don't, I want to have a word with her," Ringo ordered.

The coyote walked inside the shed, men with guns stood outside, aiming at the women just in case either one of them tried something. The canine stepped closer to the shaking lemur. They kept their distance, but just enough to reach Mia in case anything happens.

Ringo squatted in front of Mia to meet her eyes, who were trailing off, "Hey," Ringo started, "look at me. I'm not mad. Well, I was, but I forgive you. It's not your fault you were manipulated by these girls,"

Her eyes shifted, trying not to make eye contact with the sick animal, "Hey, hey, hey," Ringo placed his paw on her face.

"Don't touch her." Marlene said.

"Who's the one with the guns here?" Ringo inquired.

Marlene gulped. The tension was rising with every waking minute this man was in the room.

"It's okay, I forgive you," Ringo said, smoothly. Shifting his paw down her cheek.

He brought his snout closer to her neck, "You're cold," he said, caressing her back.

"You sick fuck." Piper spat.

Ringo got up and turned to the female penguin. He looked at her straight in the eyes, "You don't even know. But Nuka _did_." he replied before leaving, leaving Mia alone on the wooden floor.

He shut the door behind him, and everyone ran up to the weeping lemur, "Oh my God, Mia. I'm so sorry." Tanya cried, embracing her friend.

"Why did he mention Nuka? WHY DID HE MENTION NUKA?!" Krystal panicked. She ran towards the door, "COME BACK HERE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO NUKA?!" Krystal yelled.

"Ringo, come back here!" Piper yelled, peeking through one of the openings on the door. Ringo was walking farther and farther away. But, he stopped in his tracks and faced the shed.

"RINGO!" Krystal yelled.

The coyote grinned. His sinister smile sliced deep into the female penguins. Then, he started walking away again.

"No. NO! GET BACK HERE!" Krystal cried.

"Ringo, you piece of shit, get back here!" Piper yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Hey, shut the fuck up! Step away from the door!"

"Fuck you. FUCK YOU!" Krystal yelled, slamming the door with the fists she made with her flippers.

"Don't make me fucking shoot!" another warned, pointing his shotgun at the door.

"LET US OUT! GET US THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Krystal yelled, kicking the door.

The man pulled the trigger. He shot blindly at the door, unaware who he hit. The sound of a body collapsing was heard. The girls screamed at the sight. Blood sprayed everywhere. The girl's abdomen was torn to shreds.

Ringo heard the sound of the gunshot, and smiled in bliss.

"Krystal! Krystal, stay with me!" Piper pleaded. But her sister was long gone. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

"OH MY GOD!" Tanya yelled in pure terror as her fur was covered in Krystal's blood.

Ringo past by one of his inmate buddies, "Make sure to scrape up the one who was killed." the man nodded in agreement.

Ringo looked up at the sky. It was slowly turning a dark blue. The sun was staring its decent from the horizon. It was time. The girl's death is a minor set back, but they can deal with it.

Right now, he needs to gather up all the men outside. The girls will follow after that. Tonight's going to be spectacular!

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that?" Kowalski inquired. The rescue team was on foot now, they were approaching the said estate.<p>

"Boom." Rico answered.

"He's right, that sounded like a gunshot," Ray said.

"It's getting dark, we should hurry, Rico, how many blankets covered in zombie guts do we have?" Negan inquired.

"Fo'r" Rico answered, checking his duffle bag.

"Good, we're going to need them." Negan said.

"For the gang?" Private inquired.

"No, to escape the horde," Negan replied.

"Horde? What horde?" Ray inquired.

"Miles back, when me and Negan found this town, we passed by a horde. They looked to be heading towards the North," Christian answered.

"You're a bird, can't you just fly and lead them somewhere else?" Ray inquired.

"If he does that, he won't be able to lose them. The blood on his feathers won't help either. That horde is near, and they just rang the dinner bell." Negan said.

"Tesla's coil, we better move now!" Kowalski ordered, running up the road to where the gunshot came from. The rest followed in pursuit.

* * *

><p>A few miles away, about fifty Runners heard the gunshot. They all slowly turned towards the blast. Their legs did what they were used to. Running. They followed the gunshot. Into the woods and through the small stream that was feeding a lake.<p>

More groups were following the sound of the gunshot. The horde was getting bigger by the minute.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Raymond inquired, panicking.<p>

"Gunshot," Skipper answered.

"By who? And why only one?" Kyle inquired.

The door burst open, a group of inmates walked inside, "C'mon, up and at 'em!" one said, lifting the injured fruit bat by the wing.

"Erik!" Raymond called.

"You too." a man pointed his rifle at the tall lemur.

"Come on! Ringo's waiting!" a fox yelled.

"What's going on?!" Raymond squirmed.

"Oh, you'll see. Now, hurry up!"

"I don't like this."

"So much for that rescue team, huh, Skipper?" Erik said.

Ryan and Skipper were lifted up from the ground, lead by the men with guns pointed at them.

They were lead to the front lobby. Skipper looked to his left and saw an outline to what looked like a body. A child.

"Oh, God, was it one of the little girls?" Erik inquired.

"Just keep moving, mammal." the feline behind him pressed his pistol on Erik's back, shoving him forwards.

Two inmates opened the front doors, leading to the open air. The breeze was picking up, winter was approaching.

"Sit them down." Ringo ordered.

"Icy, is that you?" Trent inquired.

"Icy's with me, so is Madison. But, they're nowhere in the safe zone. Alright, bring the girls out!" Ringo ordered.

The shed door flew open, inmates came out with the women's arms tied together.

"Marlene, where's Marlene?" Skipper inquired.

"Oh, you won't be seeing her ever again." Ringo said coldly.

"You little-!" Skipper was stopped by the machete that was held under his neck. The rest of the men had their necks ready to be slit.

"NO! RAYMOND!" Tanya called, trying to squirm out of the canine's grip.

"Sit them right here," Ringo ordered.

The animals sat the girls down on the soft soil, the cold touch of machetes awaited them.

* * *

><p>"You two get to stay here." a feline ordered Marlene and Andrea.<p>

He shut the door before Marlene could escape, "Open the door!" Marlene banged on the only way out of this tomb.

"Oh my God, Madison. Madison's alive…" Andrea said as she peeped through one of the cracks of the shed.

* * *

><p>"Friends, we are all gathered here for sacrifice. Sacrifice is what will plague the world of tomorrow. That tomorrow is today. Today is Judgment Day, ladies and gents! And it's going to be fucking wicked," Ringo chuckled.<p>

"Ringo, think about what you're doing," Skipper said.

"I have! For all my life, I've been locked up abroad. Bored as shit. But, all that changes today! Am I right, fellas?" Ringo asked his large group of inmates. All howling and roaring with agreement, "For today, we are free men!"

"You're a sick fuck!" Erik snapped.

"Heh, I know I am. Why do you think I went to prison?"

"Listen, we can work something out, you just have to let us go." Trent suggested.

"Hell fucking no! There's going to be a fucking bloodbath! Skipper, rise," Ringo ordered.

The machete was lifted from his neck. He was finally able to breathe properly.

"Raymond, get up," the coyote ordered.

The weapon was lifted from the lemur's throat.

Ringo pulled out two of his knives he had on his belt and tossed one to each of them, "Let's start out with an ordinary knife fight, shall we? Winner gets to live for another round. The last four will be the lucky ones who'll survive for another week or so. When we get more people to play our game, those who survive will get to fight with the newer generation. How's that sound?" Ringo inquired.

"I'm not picking up my knife," Raymond said.

"Do it or your little girlfriend gets her throat sliced in half. She'll choke on her own blood before she gets to say goodbye," Ringo threatened.

The lemur didn't know what to do. He can't kill someone for someone he loves, can he?

Skipper turned to the deranged coyote, "Ringo, we both know that this is stup-" Raymond brought down his knife on Skipper's back. Skipper yelled in pain. He could feel his blood trickle down his back. He's lucky to have been born a penguin. His layer of feathers was able to stop most of the knife, but about an inch still went clean trough.

Skipper whipped his head back, headbutting Raymond. The lemur tumbled down in pain. Skipper stood there, white noise was scrambling his head. Everything slowed down. His head was spinning. Skipper collapsed on the soil from the impact.

* * *

><p>"SKIPPER!" Marlene screamed as she saw the leader tumble on the ground.<p>

Two animals came in through the door, "Well, hello there." one chuckled.

"Why don't we keep you two company?" the second one said slyly.

"No! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Andrea squirmed.

"Stop ya squirming!" the man yelled, climbing on top of the Labrador.

"LET ME GO!" Marlene yelled.

The animal smashed her head against the wall. Pure pain plagued her mind, blood trickled down the side of her skull.

"Shh, it'll all be over soon."

* * *

><p>Raymond quickly gained his balance and grabbed his knife from the ground. He slowly walked towards the discombobulated bird.<p>

"Raymond, don't you fucking dare!" Ryan yelled.

"I'm sorry, but I have to care for _my_ family," Raymond looked down at the penguin, "I'm so sorry,"

"Argh, Raymond, th-think about what you're doing," Skipper said.

"I have." Raymond said.

A Runner leaped onto its target, tearing into his neck. Severing the muscle and ripping apart tendons.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ringo yelled, turning around to see his men being taken down by the dead.

"NOW!" Kowalski yelled.

Negan threw the two smoke bombs that they had. They exploded on contact with the ground. Smoke filled the air, blinding everything.

Raymond turned his knife around and tackled Ringo, driving his knife deep into the coyote's shoulder. He howled in agony as the blade scraped his shoulder bone.

Kowalski and Rico aimed their guns and fired at the lunatics. Bullets pierced bodies and blood splattered all over the group.

"GO! COME ON!" Christian yelled.

A body fell next to Skipper, the sounds of gunshots brought him back, "Kowalski?!" Skipper called out into the unknown.

"KELSI, LET'S GO!"

"KYLE?!"

"TANYA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Hey! Over here!" Private called out to the small group of people.

"Oh my God, Erik, there!" Kelsi yelled.

"Oh man, okay, let's go!" he replied, following the voice of the young penguin.

"Kowalski, where are you?!" Ryan yelled in the abyss of white smoke.

"Ryan!" Rico called out to his furry friend.

"Ryan, over here!" Kowalski replied.

Ryan could faintly see Kowalski's silhouette.

Ringo pulled the knife out of his shoulder, sending pure pain throughout his entire arm and chest. He squirmed in agony, "DON'T JUST FUCKING STAND THERE! FUCKING SHOOT THEM!" Ringo ordered.

Twelve men came out through the front doors with M-16's they targeted the Geek and started firing.

"Kowalski?!" Skipper called again.

Then, in the mist of smoke, he saw a silhouette of a tall penguin. Skipper reached out to the penguin. That's when the zombie bit into the tall penguin's neck.

Skipper's brain shut down. His heart skipped a beat as he saw his teammate collapse to the ground, "KOWALSKI!" Skipper called to the man down.

Body parts were thrown everywhere. Guts were being devoured by the undead, blood once again, coated the soil. The many groans of the dead plagued the air.

Ringo picked himself up from the ground. He took out his M1911 and started firing at anything that was near him, "DON'T LET THEM FUCKING ESCAPE!"

Skipper tackled the zombie. He picked up the reanimated carcass' head and started smashing it into the ground, cracking the skull and turning the brain into mush.

He ran over to the penguin, "Kowalski…" he called. Except it wasn't Kowalski. It was Trent. His throat was ripped open and so was his chest. His esophagus was out in the open and his windpipe was hanging to the side of his neck. The sound of him drowning in his own blood sent chills up Skipper's spine.

The sound of Marlene's screams brought Skipper back, "Marlene.." he said to himself before running off towards the shed.

* * *

><p>Kowalski kept firing his SKS, into the unknown, hoping it would go through someone other than a Runner. Rico was having fun firing his M-14 that they found a little while ago.<p>

Negan and Christian were picking off Geek on the left flank. A bullet ricochet off the rock Negan was hiding behind.

"Shit, get down!" Negan yelled.

Christian nearly took a bullet to the head if it weren't for the large tree that was on his right side.

Ray was shooting his AR while Private was gathering everyone together, cutting the rope that was tying their arms.

"What the fuck is this?!" Raymond inquired, holding out the blanket that was soaked in zombie blood.

"It's what's going to keep us alive, now, do you trust us?" Private inquired.

Raymond turned to his friends, he looked back at the young penguin and nodded.

"TAKE COVER, YOU FUCKS!" Ringo yelled, running inside the building. Some were smart enough to shoot from the windows.

"Help! Someone, please help!" Icy yelled at the top of his lungs, holding tight to the screaming Madison.

Christian caught sight of the two animals hiding behind the building's sign, "Oh, shit, Negan.." Christian started.

"What? Christian? HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" Negan yelled but quickly took cover as bullets ricochet off the bolder.

Christian fired his gun at the building, forcing them to take cover. Runners saw him rushing down the front yard of the building and chased after him.

The bird reached the two animals in need, "Hey, it's going to be okay,"

"Please, help us get across," Icy pleaded.

"Can do," Christian answered, "Negan, you need to cover us!"

"Fucking go! I don't have much ammunition left!" Negan responded.

"Alright, LET'S GO!" Christian yelled, the other two followed behind.

"THERE!" Ringo pointed, aiming his M911 at them.

Negan fired his M-14, forcing Ringo to take cover.

Icy and Madison made it across. Christian ran before a Runner grabbed a hold of him, ready to sink its teeth into the small bird's neck.

"CHRISTIAN!" Negan called out for his friend.

A gunshot was heard and the Runner came down, freeing Christian from its grip. They looked at who the shooter was. It was Charlotte. Smoke came from the barrel of her gun.

"Wow, thank you, Charlotte," Christian thanked the young otter.

"How are we supposed to get past the horde without being seen? We weren't supposed to find anyone on this flank, Kowalski and Private have the bloodied blankets!" Charlotte inquired.

Negan looked at the zombie Charlotte shot, "I think we need to improvise." Negan said, pulling out his machete.

* * *

><p>Skipper arrived at the small shed, unscathed. He grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open, "Marlene, we're going to be-" Skipper found a mammal just fixing himself on top of Marlene who he just witnessed falling on the floor.<p>

Enraged, Skipper tackled the mammal, slamming his face on the floor. The other stood up and pulled Skipper off his brother.

The brother threw an uppercut to the penguin's gut, sending pain up is abdomen.

Andrea grabbed a brick that was on the wooden table and smashed it against the mammal's head, cracking his skull. He fell dead on the floor next to Marlene, who was barely coming back.

The other mammal laid there on the flood, groaning in pain. Skipper grabbed the brick that Andrea used. He walked over the last brother and brought the building material down in the animal's face.

His jaw snapped and twisted. The bridge of his nose was crushed. His forehead flattened, blood seeping from the skin. He brought it down again, cracking the skull in half.

Andrea walked towards Marlene while Skipper continued to bash the mammal's head.

"Marlene?" Andrea called.

Marlene's vision became one. The first thing she saw was Skipper beating a man with a brick. Blood painted the wall and Skipper's face and chest. She didn't tell him to stop. He deserved every last, gruesome strike.

Skipper stopped. He turned to his left to see Marlene in the arms of the Labrador, who was watching him brutally kill a man.

"Marlene…" Skipper started.

"No, it's okay. He deserved it," Marlene said.

Skipper didn't have to question it, he just simply understood and nodded, "We need to get out of her, now." Skipper said.

Bullets entered the shed, destroying everything inside, "GET DOWN!" Skipper yelled, pushing the two animals towards the ground.

A bullet zipped through Skipper's flipper and another scraped past his abdomen. Half of Andrea's ear was shot off and Marlene's tail now had a .45" hole in her tail.

* * *

><p>"KILL THEM ALL!" Ringo screeched.<p>

Ammunition were flooding of the weapons they were living in. The small, but lethal explosions propelled them to their target. About ten of his men were laying dead on the floor along with a dozen or so Geek feasting on them.

Organs, appendages, and bullet shells coated the soil drenched in blood.

* * *

><p>Kowalski and the others reached the shed that held Marlene and Andrea. Possibly Skipper, but it is possible that he was one of the ones laying dead on the ground just yards away from them.<p>

"Get them out of there!" Ryan yelled past the blasts of the bullets.

"The only was in is through the front!" Kowalski barked.

"MOVE!" Raymond yelled, slamming his body on the back of the shed. Bullets still buzzed all around them.

Piper sat there in all the chaos. She was alone now, her sisters were gone. Since Madison was the only one present, it was the only answer that made sense. Her entire family was gone. Now she would have to bare with this new world plagued with evil.

The wall came down, Raymond fell with a thud. Kowalski was crouching, avoiding the continuing onslaught of ammunition, "COME ON!" he yelled.

"Kowalski?!" Skipper and Marlene called in unison.

"Doesn't matter, where's Madison?!" Andrea shouted.

"She's with Icy, now, come on! We stay here any longer, we all are going to die!" Christian yelled

"You heard the bird, move, move, move!" Skipper barked.

"Piper, honey, let's go!" Tanya said to the depressed penguin.

She didn't respond. She just sat there in all the weight of remorse.

"Piper, let's go!" Kelsi yelled.

"I can't, I-I'm done." Piper replied.

"Look, I know you're feeling alone, but you sisters would want you go on!" Tanya yelled.

"Live every day for them! Do it for them!" Kelsi said.

Piper lifted her head and nodded.

"Here, put this on," Negan handed a blanket that was soaked in zombie blood.

"What the fuck is that?!" Andrea yelled, disgusted by the putrid odor the object gave off.

"It's going to help you escape this place in one piece!" Christian answered.

"That was just the first wave of Runners, there are thousands of them heading this way!" Negan yelled.

"Everyone else is wearing one, best to put this on." Skipper grabbed the "Invisibility Cloak" and wrapped it around him and Marlene. He lifted the other end for the Labrador. She hesitated at first. But when a bullet ricochet off the shed, near her head, she climbed inside.

"WE GO SOUTH!" Ray ordered.

"Me and Christian know of a place down there, we can go che-" the sound of an explosion caught them all off guard.

Ringo on the opposite side of them, wielded an M32 grenade launcher. The eyes of pure bloodlust cascaded.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Ryan shouted out of fear.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Skipper ordered.

The group headed towards the woods. Into the unknown.

Ringo slowly walked off the porch of the building. He continued to stare off where he last saw the survivors. A Runner ran towards him, only to be shot through the neck by Ringo, without even looking. Pure hatred flowed through his veins. They will all regret ever leaving. All of them.

"Ringo! What do we do now?!" a bird flew up to his leader.

"We hunt the fuckers down. I won't stop until every last one of them is walking amongst the dead." Ringo said coldly, not taking his eyes off the spot.

Then, the sinister smile appeared across his face.

* * *

><p><strong>End of episode six.<strong>

**The Dead**

**Season One**

**In Memoriam:  
><strong>

**Fort Benning zombies**

**Sarah**

**Daniels**

**Corbett**

**McMaster**

**Fort Hood survivors**

**Nuka**

**Trent**

**Ringo's inmates**

**Countless amounts of Runners**

**Outro Song: "Everything's Not Lost" by Coldplay**

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed Season One.<strong>

**Season Two will be coming at you next year! (Need time to actually plan and write the season)**

**Also, I would like for you to tell me what to do during this one year break.**

**Would you like for me to do a Q & A? One-shots? Would you like to know what's going on somewhere else? Let me know and I'll do it. If you want to do a Q & A, I have a link on my profile that'll lead you to my page. You can ask questions there, or you can PM me them. **

**This is me signing off. See you in one year...**


	26. Epilogue: Season One

**Season One**

**Epilogue **

**Six months after escaping Ringo, and miles behind the devastation…**

* * *

><p>The last streaks of the golden sun vanished behind the horizon. A German Shepherd was looking off towards the unknown before walking towards the red truck.<p>

"How are we looking on food?" the German Shepherd asked the young serval who was unloading large crates of supplies and other goods from the truck.

The mammal followed the voice and smiled, "Oh, hey, Segen. What brings you here?" the seval inquired.

"Food. How much is left before rations?" the canine asked again with his classic annoyed tone.

"Oh, right! Well… let me take a look," the female serval said, looking around the truck for her clipboard. Segen waited impatiently, eyeballing what looked like enough supplies to last an entire empire for years.

Yet, it's probably only enough for a few months, "Okay, here we go. Hmm, da, da, da, oh! Here we are, yeah, we're looking at a full year's worth," the serval finally answered.

Segen's eyes widened, "Christ, that much?" Segen inquired, "It just looks like so little,"

"Yep. Aaron did good. We're lucky to have him as leader. By the way, how did you even meet a guy like him?" the serval inquired.

"I'll see you around, AJ," Segen said, waving goodbye.

"Oh… well, goodnight Segen. I guess." AJ awkwardly waved back.

As the canine was walking farther away from the truck, Segen hid the small water bottle that he stole without the animal noticing.

* * *

><p>"It's been three months since we've heard the gunshots. It could have just been an ordinary group having some Runner trouble."<p>

"Maybe. Or it could have been Reidak and his men again. Who knows where that asshole is." a female penguin spoke.

"We don't know for sure. We haven't heard from Reidak in a while, it's best if we continue our search. Make sure he doesn't have his men spying on us," the small eagle said. The eagle turned towards the German Shepherd that was already heading home.

"Segen! Wait up," the eagle called to one of his closest friend.

The canine stopped in his tracks. He couldn't stand another second with this idiot, "Aaron, hi! What's going on?" Segen inquired.

"We were just about to go sweep the neighboring forests, would you like to join us?" Aaron inquired.

"As much as I love spending time with you and our team, I really should be getting back to Janet," Segen insisted.

"Oh, well, since we're going to be out there, I'm putting you in charge. If anything happens, you know what to do." Aaron said.

"Hmm, you know what? Maybe I should go, I could really use some improvement on my shooting skills," Segen said.

"Awesome."

"Hey, we're wasting time blabbering about, we should get to it." the female penguin said.

"Well, you heard Megan, let's go." Aaron smiled at Segen.

* * *

><p>Megan paired with Leo, Segen with Aaron. Each wielded an MK. Segen used an SKS.<p>

The two ventured deeper inside the forest. New plants would spring up. Summer was just around the corner. It was about to get crazy humid. They had a little taste of what the Summer was going to bring a couple days ago. Hottest day they've ever experienced. The asphalt would almost melt from the intensity of the heat.

"So, how's Janet?" Aaron broke the silence.

"She's fine. She hasn't been feeling like herself lately. It might be a bug or something," Segen answered.

"Yeah, I've been hearing the same thing from the folk we have here. It could be flu season. I've lost track of the days about a month ago," Aaron said.

"Flu season. Are we anywhere prepared for that? What if it infects about half of our people?" Segen inquired.

"We're equipped to handle a few at a time. But, an epidemic? The thing will blow through us within a week. That's why we need to go on runs more,"

"I saw that haul your men brought. That had to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in months,"

A twig snapped. Survival instincts took over. Aaron aimed his gun at the upcoming Runner. It growled as it dragged itself over to its prey.

"I've got it," Aaron said, grabbing his knife from his sheath. He ran up towards the undead carcass and drove his blade deep inside the demon's skull. Destroying the brain. The reanimated being collapsed. Blood trickled down from the wound.

"They're gotten slower, have you notic-" Aaron choked on his own blood. He placed his wing on his neck to find Segen's knife wedged inside. The bird gurgled for a few more seconds before collapsing to the ground.

Segen walked up to the bird. He flipped over the dead bird to retrieve his knife. Blood squirted from the artery when he pulled the blade out of the creature's muscle.

He took out his water bottle and the checkered handkerchief and started cleaning his blade. Tainted water dripped on the dead, dry leaves below. Aaron's dead cold eyes were staring blankly at Segen.

The canine placed his knife back inside his sheath. He walked over towards the dead bird. He tilted the eagle's head to the left to reveal the bird's wound. Blood was flooding from the wound and coated the bird's feathers.

Segen took a deep breath. He quickly dug his teeth into the bird's neck. Muscles and tendons tearing under his teeth. He pulled back, the raw meat snapped and tore. The veins and arteries were severed, sending blood everywhere.

The canine let Aaron's head fall to the ground. Blood soaked the soil. Muscle was hanging out of the bite wound.

Segen spat out the raw flesh he just tore out of Aaron's neck. Blood coated his snout and neck. He walked over to the dead Geek, opened its mouth, and placed the piece of meat in its mouth. The Runner killed Aaron.

He quickly started cleaning his snout and neck. The handkerchief was fully red. The black squares were soaked in the crimson. He looked down at the eagle. He grabbed his SKS from the ground. He aimed at Aaron's head and pulled the trigger.


	27. Tungsten: Everything Dies

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Penguins and Madagascar.**

**No humans. Only the animals and the undead.**

**Note: Decided to put this thing up on this story when I realized something: these have to be together. This thing is important. Well, in my eyes. A story within a story. This might as well be considered storyception. To my knowledge, this story as a whole might reach one million words. **

* * *

><p><strong>Tungsten<strong>

_Prologue_

Twelve hours passed since the outbreak. It was late at night, the silence of the outside world was deafening. Not a single helicopter or tank was heard roaming the skies or roads of Springfield. Not even the living dead.

The day started like any other. Only, most of the populace wouldn't live to see the next day. There was a small stomach virus going on a few months back, but no one thought that it would come to this. People blamed the people who were infected with the stomach virus.

They would raid houses and take women and children from their families. They would slaughter them in the streets. They were rioting. That's what brought in the dead.

The town of Springfield fell quickly. Its residents were either evacuated to Washington D.C. or was shoved in the local hospital. Inova Fairfax Hospital held more than a thousand people. That wasn't enough for the rest of its people. About two thirds of the population laid dead in the streets.

It might be calm and eerie thought the eyes of the people inside the hospital, but for the people outside, it was pure chaos. People were raging throughout Springfield and onto the city next door: Alexandria.

Fires whipped across neighborhoods, swallowing houses whole. Cars were set ablaze. Explosions were set off by the burning vehicles. Sometimes taking people with it.

The rioters were heading towards Washington D.C. They ran out of people to slaughter. They were going for the government next. They knew they couldn't trust them. They always had to screw something up. They were the one who put the virus in their homes. They were the ones behind it. They knew it was traced back to the President. An extermination.

Amidst all the fire, chaos, and families without fathers, mothers, and children, a young canine sat comfortably anxious in his seat in the hospital, wondering of the outside. The unknown.

* * *

><p><strong>Everything Dies<strong>

When his neighborhood was attacked by the rioters, he had found a little girl, stranded in the middle of the road. She was beaten half to death. Blood ran down her nose, and her arm was twisted at a weird angle.

She was a gopher. It was hard to identify her. She had cuts and gashes all over her body. Her right eye was swollen. She was a mess.

"Rhine Waters?" a nurse called.

The Rottweiler looked up. "This way, mister Waters." the nurse instructed.

* * *

><p>"How is she?" Rhine asked as the duo walked down a white corridor.<p>

The sounds of machines working their magic to keep patients alive echoed. There would be an occasional cough here and there. One nurse had a woman on a stretcher, her arm was amputated. Blood had already soaked the gauze.

"She was in very serious condition when you brought her up here." the nurse started.

"Is she okay?" Rhine asked again. His heart pumped faster.

The nurse stopped by a door. "We did everything we could. She was bleeding profusely. We couldn't stop the bleeding."

Rhine closed his eye, placing a paw over his face. "We also found that she was rapped. She had vaginal bruising and traces of DNA in her-"

"She's just a little girl!" Rhine exploded.

"I know. I know and I'm sorry. She'll die peacefully, at least." the nurse said.

"What's so peaceful about dying knowing that she'll never see her parents again? It was your job to keep her alive, and you all failed." the Rottweiler growled.

The nurse stayed silent.

"What's worse is that her parents will never know where their daughter is." Rhine sighed.

"You're not the parent?" the nurse asked.

"Does it look like I'm the parent?" Rhine stated.

"I didn't have to put species into consideration. Anyone could have been her father. I'm not like that." the nurse defended. "She's in here. We're about to take her off the machines." she informed.

"Okay…okay." Rhine sighed.

He entered the room. A bed was placed in the middle of the room. A machine was next to the bed. Wires ran from the metallic device and I to the arms of a young girl. She looked lifeless. Her skin was pale. Bandages covered most of her body, but they were soaked in blood.

The Rottweiler slowly walked inside. "Hey, buddy." he managed to say.

A doctor walked inside, getting closer to the machine. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I just… dammit." Rhine placed his head on her chest.

The little girl's eyes slowly opened. "R-Rh…"

The doctor pulled the plug on the machine. She flatlined. "Wh-NO! She was about to come through! Plug it back in!" Rhine cried.

"I'm-" the doctor began.

"NO! PLUG THE MACHINE BACK!" the Rottweiler yelled.

He shoved the doctor out of the way, trying frantically to reach the cord. The nurse rushed in, pulling the canine back. "Stop!" she yelled.

"NO! PLEASE! NO!"

* * *

><p>The canine sat solemnly alone at the far end of the lobby. He would get occasional glances from people. He had blood stains from that little girl. He carried her all the way over here. It felt like a cinematic scene.<p>

He burst through the doors, yelling that he needed a doctor fast. It was a good thing that the guards weren't stationed at the lobby yet. They definitely would have shot him dead.

"May I ask where you got those blood stains, mister?" a man walked up to the Rottweiler.

Rhine didn't pay attention. "May I have a seat?" the man asked before sitting next to Rhine. "You married?" the man asked.

The canine looked at his paw, "Divorced."

"What's it made of, Titanium?"

"Tungsten." Rhine answered.

"Ah, yes. The strongest metal on the periodic table. Nice choice. if you're divorced, et keep the ring?" he asked.

"It's a reminder of who I am. It gives me comfort at times." Rhine answered.

It's been said that Tungsten won't break no matter what you throw at it."

The Rottweiler kept his arms crossed. "It all makes sense, man." the man spoke.

"What makes sense?" Rhine asked.

"This. Everything. The disease. I get it now." the man sighed.

"You're just like them." Rhine shrugged.

"The rioters? Well, if I'm like them, I would have stabbed you in the head for looking suspicious." the man chuckled.

Rhine stared at the man. Is he serious? "But on a serious note, I've accepted what's to come." the man spoke.

Not another psycho babbling about the end of the world. He's probably going to say: I was right! I warned all of you! Now you all shall see the iron fist of God!

"You see, the world has a system. Things come and go. Same as species. The dinosaurs roamed the earth for millions of years. Then the asteroid came crashing down. Our first ancestors roamed the earth, created empires, and fell. You see, where I'm getting at?" the man asked.

"Not really." Rhine answered.

"Well, you see, Animality has been creating and destroying for thousands of years. Vast empires rise and fall. All of them by the same causes. War, famine, disease, and over population. This is where the term "History is repeating itself " comes to mind." the man continued.

"We build these empires, use up the resources, and fight. War and disease spread. One empire might be totally fine, until another comes and conquers it. We all live off each other. We're entering the modern Dark Ages." the man emphasized.

"Diseases come and go." Rhine said.

"They do, but when they become pandemics? That's when shit hits the fan. In the Medieval Era, wars and nettle were usual. They were the fucking norm. Europe was dangerously over populated. They didn't know who the fuck they were going to feed all these people. There wasn't enough food for everyone." chills ran up the man's spine.

"Just when Europe was at its breaking point, China was pushing a trillion fucking chinks. A trillion! In the Medieval Era! So, we have trillions of people dying of starvation, wars, and disease. But population kept going. There just wasn't enough food for everyone. Then, the Black Plague happened. It starts in China and follows the Silk Road, onto Europe." the fur on Rhine's back stood up.

"Two-Thirds of the population. Gone. The plague destroyed everything it touched. It was so bad, they didn't have enough time to bury the dead because of how fast people were dying. Two-thirds are dead under one hundred years. That's miraculous in their time. Soon, the plague just ran out of people to infect. It literally ran out of hosts to infect. That's the only reason everything didn't die." the man continued.

"The second biggest mass extinction in Animal history. Billions died in a short period of time. Now, here we are, thirteen trillion people. You know what's been going on in China? Famine. They're running out of food because of their population. Europe is always causing trouble, and everyone hates the Americas. Then this thing started. Do you know how many people died in the first day?" the man asked the nervous canine.

"Five trillion. Five trillion of us died in one day. Now, I never did believe in the Mayans. Fucking pricks predicted the end of the world, yet they didn't see the Spanish coming? I do believe in one thing, though. The world might be ending, but there will be a fresh new start at the end. This is how we thrive. People need to die in order for people to live." the man finished.

"Rhine? Can I have a word with you?" the female nurse called.

"That's me. It was rather fun talking to you." Rhine got up from his chair. "By the way, how did you know all those people died?" he inquired.

"You're living close to Washington. There's bound to be a few scientists wandering before the biggest mass extinction in history." the man smiled. "I'll see you soon. Unless the dead get to this place first." he said before walking away.

"Wait!" the canine called. The man kept walking.

"Rhine?" she called again. The canine turned. "What do want us to do with the body?" she asked.

"You bury her. That's what you do." he stepped closer to the nurse. "Just… make sure she gets a proper burial." Rhine pleaded.

"I wish I could. There's just…". she said blankly.

"What? You wish you could do what?" Rhine inquired, placing his paws on her shoulders.

"There's just too many bodies. They're piling up. We can't let people near the back or else they might catch a whiff of the dead." the nurse wobbly said. She was on the verge of crying.

Rhine didn't know what to say. How could that many people die so quickly? How many people were in here before he was? Was… was that guy on to something? Rhine pulled the nurse close to him, embracing her. "It'll be okay. We'll be okay. We can handle this, alright?" he comforted her.

"Yeah… We just need to do this quietly." she said. "We don't want to let these people know the amount of people are dead. It'll cause a panic. This is their last hope for safety. If this gets blown over, they'll start raising the pharmacy." she whispered.

"Yeah, I got you. Where to first?" Rhine asked.

"The morgue. We'll pile the dead onto stretchers and we'll take them outside to burn them." the nurse answered.

"Burn them? What are you crazy?" Rhine made a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"They can see movement. You go out there and light a fire, they'll be all over here like gnats to a fruit basket. I've been face to face with one, this place will fall within minutes." the Rottweiler said.

"How do we get rid of them?"

"We're going to have to burn them inside. Do you have an incinerator?"

"If we did, I wouldn't have brought up the idea of doing it outside. The morgue isn't equipped to dealing with this many dead bodies. We're understaffed and under prepared for this."

"Go on ahead to the morgue. We'll talk about it there. I'll meet you there. By the way, I never did learned you name." Rhine cocked his head.

"Seine. It's Seine." the French hound answered.

"Huh, two major rivers..." Rhine chuckled. They were about the same height as well. They didn't even notice that.

"Had the same idea as you." Seine said before leaving.

Rhine turned to where the man walked away. He was still curious. He wanted to speak with the man. After passing and dodging people, he reached the from of the hospital. He turned to a woman next to him. "Excuse me, but did you happen to see a fox passing by?"

"I think he went up stairs. I've seen that man walk around here from time to time. He gives me the creeps. Do you know him?" the woman asked.

"No." Rhine answered. He should probably go back and help Seine. He had this weird feeling around her. It was probably because their names come from major rivers on Europe. Rhine was actually a popular name for a Rottweiler in Germany.

_Wonder if she's from Europe too?_ He asked himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I apologize if I offended anyone when I used the word: 'Chink'. I don't use that word, nor do I think that it's an acceptable word. I just used it for that certain character, who might appear again. So, again, my apologies.<strong>

**Well, this is where I have to end it. It was fun writing this. It's good to show you other parts of the world, especially the capitol, A.K.A. Washington D.C.**

**Why weren't the Penguins in this? Oh, they will be. But that's in the far future. I'm just writing this because these characters will play a big part in "The Dead". **

**I'm to go now, I'm going to spoil everything if I keep talking. There might be a few mistakes, but I'll fix those soon…ish.**

**BTW, what do you want for Christmas? Do you want another chapter of "The Article"? Do you want an early release of the first chapter for season two? DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN?! I'm deeply sorry. Bye now. **


	28. Miles Behind: Part One

**Happy New Year! What a way to celebrate the new year? A new chapter! Finally after all that waiting, here's the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Penguins of Madagascar, or anything related to the show. The Penguins of Madagascar belongs to Dreamworks Animation.**

**Once again, this is an animal-based world. No human beings. Zip. Nada.**

**Season One was six episodes, this season has TEN! Hooray, four more episodes!**

**Now I can finally say this:**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously, on "The Dead":<strong>

"A mess? Why is that?" Skipper asked. He could already imagine the chaos happening over at the station.

"They're saying that there's riots over at Albany. We can't get through and the news is not very helpful." Private answered.

…

"We'll be back in a jiffy, Marlene. Hopefully." Private managed to say while carrying heavy boxes.

…

"Needing back up here in Wall Street."

"We need back up over here!"

"Officers down! I repeat! Officers down!"

…

"Get out of the car now!" Skipper ordered. The young one uncovered his eyes and was greeted with horrifying images.

…

"C'mon. We need to keep moving sweetie." the dog told the little one. He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. Lead pierced the undead's forehead, collapsing.

…

Skipper raised his gun until it met the owl's head.

"I'm sorry." Skipper whispered as he pulled the trigger.

…

"You're the officer coming for the scientist, right?" Private inquired.

"Officer? I'm the fucking commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence in Fort Benning, Georgia.

…

"Ladies and gents, welcome to Fort Benning." McMaster announced.

"Too bright for you?" he inquired.

"Just a tad." Private answered.

"Well, I know this will sound cliché, but, are you ready to save the planet?" the Rottweiler inquired, smirking.

…

YOU LET THEM GO! NOW!" Raymond barked.

"You take one more step closer, and your girlfriend's head gets sawed off. Just cutting through the muscles, the tendons, until the blade slices her windpipe, and she drowns in her own blood. You want that?" Ringo pressed the blade against Tanya's neck. "'Cause that'll be pretty show." he smiled

…

"Kowalski, what are you doing?" Private inquired, shaking from the events.

"I'm going to make them regret ever fucking with us." he replied coldly.

…

"Ringo! What do we do now?!" a bird flew up to his leader.

"We hunt the fuckers down. I won't stop until every last one of them is walking amongst the dead."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

Thirteen. The amount of men he lost was thirteen. There, they laid on the ground. Soaking in their own blood. Some, eaten by the dead. Guts and brains were scattered everywhere. The smell of death plagued the air.

A pillar of smoke rose from where the grenade landed. He was close. A couple more feet and they all would have been charred bodies. The coyote's blood was pumping. Adrenaline was flowing through his veins. Pure anger had taken control. He was a ticking time bomb.

"Fuck!" Ringo screamed at the top of his lungs. That got rid of some of his anguish.

"Shit, they got Jeffery. Those sonsuvbitches are gonna pay." an inmate exclaimed.

Ringo quickly turned around and fired his grenade launcher towards the building. The structure was engulfed in flames. The lobby was incinerated. Thankfully, all of his men were out of the damn building before he launched the explosive fuck.

The ground shook. The explosion knocked some of the remaining inmates to the ground. The fiery blast blew the entire front of the building sky-high.

The inmates exchanged expressions. Some were impressed by the coyote's fury. Others were dumbfounded by the intensity of the explosion.

Ringo turned towards his entourage. The fire blazing in the background made him look devastatingly lethal. Half of his face was hidden by his muzzle's shadow. His eyes were glowing and his chest was puffed out. And his furry coat was about three times its normal size. The fire only made him look bigger and sinister.

"Hunting season's come early." the devil spoke in a raspy voice.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season Two**

**Miles Behind**

It seemed like an eternity. The amount of the reanimated corpses was perplexing. It seemed to stretch for miles. The low groans and moans of the undead were being painfully burnt into their skulls. These all used to be people. Living, breathing beings. In a course of a week, they just stopped… being.

One had her entrails dangling from her abdomen. Another had bullet holes scattered all over his body, blood slowly trickling down. Another was… well, she was dragging herself because her other half was missing. Her organs hanged on to the body by a major artery or vein. Her stomach had popped, probably by the fury of lead. Her entrails strung from her abdomen.

But what was worse was the smell. The putrid odor was overpowering, and to add an entire blanket of the same stuff, only made it all the more rancid. The scent was coating their lungs, they could almost taste the rotten blood.

The wind blew the smoke towards the woods, rather than the building holding the enemy. But, that didn't matter, they used it to their advantage. It must have worked, the gunshots stopped a long time ago.

Skipper waddled in between Marlene and Andrea, under the blanket that was drenched in the contaminated blood. It was weird that of Skipper to not argue if the blood would be able to infect them a different way. Seep into the pores maybe. His mind was buzzing with white noise and remorse. Trent. He was a casualty out of many. The thought of just leaving him back there, not driving his knife down on the penguin's head made him shiver. Though, the thought of ending another man's life gave depression and angst.

He turned to his left to see the weapons expert, Rico keeping Private and Charlotte together. Private was struggling not to puke. His face was turning green from disgust. Charlotte didn't look so good either. Ahead of him was the carefully waddling strategist, helping Ray walk through the horde of the dead. His crutches would have made too much noise.

To his far right, the people of the unknown. Since when was there a puffin? Or a small Labrador? Both of them were coated in blood. They must have run out of blankets.

All he knew were some of the guy's names. There was Erik, the fruit bat. Then there's… Kyle? Yeah, that was the grey wolf's name. Then there's the lemur that almost murdered him: Raymond. He'd have to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

He didn't know any of the girl's names besides Andrea, the Labrador that was slowly walking next to him. She was shaking like a leaf. She didn't look like a fully grown Labrador. She seemed to be around seventeen. But, he could be wrong.

There was also a Golden Retriever and a female penguin. The Golden Retriever was probably around her early teenage years and the penguin around Rico-to-Kowalski's age. She was carrying what seemed to be a red bowtie.

Behind him was those two weird ones, covered in zombie muck along with Ryan. He'd have to keep an eye on them too. Then again, he'd have to keep an eye on everyone besides the people he left New Jersey with.

"Javla.." Piper said to herself.

"Stop, you're going to attract attention." Negan hushed.

Some cocked their heads, but slowly turned back towards the estate. It was miraculous that they didn't seem to care that they were walking in the opposite direction than the horde.

"How much more?" Erik whispered.

"Not much, now shut up before they crawl on top of us." Negan snarled.

More heads turned towards the group. Skipper was eyeing the unknowns. He'll stick with that until he learns their names. If they continue squawking, the horde will surely be all over them.

They were reaching the end of the vast sea of reanimated corpses. There were only about twenty or so left. They were only a few feet away from officially escaping hostile territory.

Kowalski and Ray were the first ones to reach the end of the horde. The unknowns came second followed by Skipper, Marlene and Andrea. The Red Husky and the Brown Thrasher were the last ones out, but everyone continued to walk quietly and slowly. Any sudden sounds could trigger the horde towards them.

When Negan and Christian made it out, a few cocked their heads slowly and started following them, thinking that the horde shifted.

Kowalski turned to check if everyone made it out only to see about five to six Runners on their tail, "Dammit." he sighed.

"It's okay, it happens. We'll deal with them later." Negan said, before a Runner walked up to him, staring him down with his cold, dead eyes.

Christian slowly reached for his gun but stopped when the canine gave him a look. Don't even think about it, the canine said in his mind. The bird quickly placed his weapon back in its holster.

They were stuck with these undead freaks for another few yards.

The sounds of the horde were dying down. But, were quickly replaced by the groans and growls of the five behind them.

The canine slowly reached for his knife. By this time, the reanimated corpse lost interest in him. He pulled out the weapon and quickly jabbed in through the mammal's skull, killing it instantly.

The others hissed as they started running towards them, finally realizing that they were prey, other than their own kind.

Some ran, away from the danger. Raymond and Skipper stayed put to defend the group from the corpse's clutches.

Ryan ran through the middle of the group, pulling out his knife. Rico used the butt of his rifle to bash a Runner's head into oblivion. Blood splattered everywhere as the gruesome sounds of skull and brain matter being squished was heard.

Ryan brought down his blade, piercing one of the Runner's skull. Skipper tackled one of them while Raymond used the knife that Ringo gave him to kill it.

Christian was able to jam his blade through the zombie that was heading towards Rico, who was still decimating the reanimated carcass' head.

Negan used on of his arrows to impale a reanimated corpse's head through the eye, destroying the brain. When he retrieved the arrow, the dead guy's eye was attached to the lethal weapon. Its vein dangled on the side.

Sighs were exchanged. Finally, they were out of harm's way. For now. The first rays of the sun were peaking through the trees.

Andrea lifted the bloody blanket off of her head and ran towards her sister. She embraced the young canine while tears ran down her face.

"Oh, Madison, I'm so sorry. I should of… oh God, I'm so sorry." Andrea cried, hugging her sister to death. The young Labrador returned the hug. Finally. She was embraced by something warm and loving. Andrea was her only family.

Raymond ran up to his mate, and gave her a warm embrace. He felt like the luckiest man to have ever live. Tanya cried tears of joy as she returned the hug. Naomi ran up to the injured Kyle, being careful not to squeeze too tight, or she might worsen his abdomen's condition.

"Man, I never thought we'd ever get out of there." Erik chuckled.

"Well, we did. What's the plan now?" Kelsi said, hugging the fruit bat.

"Trent?" Andrea inquired, looking around the area. She caught no sight of the male penguin.

Skipper shook his head, answering the penguin's absence.

"Oh God." Tanya whispered.

"Javla'd bastard." Piper said to herself, anger and fury coursing through her veins.

"The plan is to get the hell away from here." Skipper answered Kelsi's question, wiping dirt off his feathers.

"I doubt Ringo followed us all the way over here. The horde was way to big to dodge. They would have been forced to head the opposite direction." Tanya said.

"Well, I'm not taking any chances. We need to put as many miles between us and this place." Skipper continued.

"I don't blame you. That guy has a grenade launcher, how knows if he didn't blast his way through?" Kyle inquired.

"Because, we would have heard the explosions. Kowalski, analysis." Skipper commanded. Saying that made Skipper feel normal for a split second.

"Well, we're about seven to six miles away from the estate, that puts about six hundred reanimated corpses in between us and the enemy. He has no choice than to head the opposite direction. Yeah, he won't be bothering us for a while." Kowalski answered.

"Well, then, I'm afraid to say that this is where we go our separate ways," Skipper broke the news. He witnessed as jaws dropped.

"You're kidding, right?" Raymond inquired.

"I'm not." Skipper said coldly.

"You can't just leave us like that! What the hell's wrong with you?!" Kelsi shouted.

"Listen, I'm only looking out for my team and my team only." Skipper snapped.

"You can't. We have a child with us, you can't leave us here with that maniac." Mia pleaded. Her face seemed to be healing quite well.

"Incase you haven't noticed, we have two. I'm sorry, but the decision's final." Skipper argued.

"Skipper, you don't want to work this out before we kick them out like this?" Ryan inquired.

"It's final, Ryan." Skipper said sternly.

"We also, had two children with us. Care to take a guess where she is now?" Piper inquired, "She's dead. And so is my sister. They both died in the hands of the crazy bastard." Piper said, getting teary-eyed but kept her angry gaze.

Skipper stayed silent.

"She's right," the puffin spoke, "You have no idea what he's capable of. He gutted that child in cold blood. Only to teach Madison a "lesson"." Icy explained.

Skipper looked at the female penguin. She was trying extremely hard not to cry. She looked like she was about to explode with salty tears.

"He's out there, and sooner or later, he's going to find us. He won't be so easy on us that time." Naomi said.

"He'll torture us to death. Especially towards Raymond." Tanya said, holding her boyfriend's paw.

"Skipper, if we leave them to fend for themselves, they wouldn't last a day out here. And with Ringo and his group of inmates on the loose, maybe not even twelve hours. And that's because I'm sugarcoating it." Kowalski said.

Skipper stared at the group. He doesn't know any of these people. They could use the numbers. Maybe train them how to use a weapon. That way, they'll be ready to defend themselves when the time comes.

"If you send us out there by ourselves, your practically killing us. And that blood will be on your flippers." Molly, the Golden Retriever noted. She hadn't said anything since they arrived at the estate.

"We owe you our lives. If it wasn't for you and your friends, we all would be dead. That's a debt that we can never repay. That fight back there? All for nothing if you cast us out. That's ammunition, energy, and blood wasted. Let us make up for that." Tanya wobbly said, almost crying at the end. She didn't know any of these people, but she kind of knew Marlene, but that was it. Marlene did mention the penguin and the German Shepherd, but not the others. She was facing the people who would determine her group's faith.

Skipper turned to his group. They all nodded. Ray was a little hesitant at first, but he soon came around. Evem if he denied it, they _needed_ the numbers. And if they are going to get past this, they're going to need every last one of them.

Skipper sighed before answering, "Come on, we're losing daylight." the flat-headed penguin commanded.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations: Javla'd: FuckFucking**

* * *

><p><strong>Happy New Year! I decided to bring this as a present for you all. This was originally going to be a Christmas release, but nah. <strong>

**So, first chapter to the first episode to the second season. I'm excited for this season. Expect lots of character development. Characters will get their own moments, including Ringo. No, not the famous musician, I've already heard that one. **

**See you all Jan 18th for part two! Yes, I have a schedule. Fucking finally. What does that mean? It means that I have the entire season ready. Everything's been typed. **

**So, schedule. Though, I think some of you might not enjoy the schedule. You'll see when the time comes. Until then, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. And please, if you see any mistakes or if you have a question, please notify me. It help me out a lot. I do tend to over look things. A lot... :D **


	29. Miles Behind: Part Two

Smoke towered over the trees, blanketing large areas of vegetation. The smoke was black, signaling that the building was still burning. Weird, it's been about seven hours since they left the place.

The constant flow of the dead was going to reek havoc on their ammunition. They would have ran out of bullets before making a dent. As much as he wanted to blow through the giant horde of zombies with his grenade launcher, he had to head the opposite direction.

He'd have to track them down in a day or two. A majority of his men were canines, which was good because the other species here sucked major balls at tracking down. If he had said that aloud, that would have been racist in their world. "Specist" is the word they used.

The coyote held his SKS in his bloody paws. They were still mending, but he didn't care. He had lost most feeling in his paws during his time behind bars. When the disease started, it took out the warden.

The fucker just started spazzing out like one of them. A couple officers crowded around him, trying to figure out what the actual fuck was going on with him. Then he took a good chunk out of an officer.

That's when all hell broke lose. Soon enough, about twenty-five percent of the staff went berserk and started eating people. The coyote was lucky enough to have the faggot who had the key to his cell go belly up in front of him.

He reached for the key, unlocked the cell, freed his closest friends, raided the holy grail of weapons, and blew the place sky-high. He mowed down anything that got in his way. He never really had a close connection to the Lord, but when this happened, he knew the bearded man was with him.

After that, he went straight to the people who jailed him: his colleagues. Sadly, they were already eaten by the dead. He wanted to be the one to inflict damage. But, with the help of the Lord, he found their daughter hiding in her bedroom. He locked himself in the room with her. She struggled and squirmed, but they all do that. He slit her throat after he "finished".

He told his buddies to stay at the house while he had some unfinished business with his parents. He walked down the street to his house where his mother and father were taking shelter.

After dozens of death threats from his father, he was able to get inside the house. By killing him. His mother was defenseless. Yet, he didn't hurt her. He slowly walked up to her and hugged her. Telling her that she was his "favorite" out of his family. That same day, he murdered her in her sleep.

"C'mon, pick up the pace back there!" Ringo yelled at his mindless subjects. They were all dazzled by the many corpses that were scattered around the area. A group of people must have mowed through this horde not too long ago. These were freshly killed. Zombies and the bodies of those who were eaten alive laid everywhere. The smell of blood still lingered in the air. There was no doubt that there was someone or maybe a different group out there. The area they were walking around seemed to be their a camp. You know, before most of them were slaughtered.

"How about we go find these people? They seem to have a shit load of shit." Ringo asked his entourage.

"Do we track them down like we did with the others?" a feline inquired.

"Of course, but this time, we'll actually capture them. We would have had the entire school back at Atlanta if it wasn't for that fucking horde." Ringo snarled.

"What about Raymond? And Julien?" Charlie the hedgehog inquired.

"We're not giving up on them, we're just going to deal with this group first." the coyote answered.

"Ah, makes sense." Charlie said. Inside he was disagreeing with him. He couldn't say it out loud because the lunatic would sever his head by shooting an automatic rifle at his neck. Those bullets would tear him apart.

"So, how 'bout it? You guys up for it?" the coyote asked.

"Hell yeah!" one yelled. The others agreed with the same two words only, only, they didn't use "hell" since they're practically living through it.

"Alright, you know the drill, we'll follow the tracks left by the vehicles. Just like Atlanta." the canine said, looking for any signs of tire tracks.

His entourage began searching. In unison, they all bobbed their heads down in search for tracks. They all looked like idiots, which they were in Charlie's blue eyes.

Ringo walked up to a few stray boxes that were left behind. One seemed to be opened, the others were sealed. They looked like they could have something useful.

The hedgehog didn't like the idea of searching the soil for signs of vehicles. The idea of following the tracks was kind of inefficient. They only got lucky with Raymond's group because one of these imbeciles had to take a piss behind the bushes and just happen to stumble upon the group. Like it was meant to be. Sadly, the man was one of the casualties from last night.

Charlie walked up to the crazed coyote, "We only have about thirty people with us, we had forty-three last night. In just a matter of minutes, we lost thirteen people. Are you sure tracking these people won't lead to the same tragedy?" the prickly animal inquired.

"Well, the only way we're going to make it through this is to scavenge for supplies. Right now, it's not that easy because people have taken their stuff from their homes and got the fuck out of here. It's our job to hunt them down and take what they got. C'mon, was it really that hard to figure that out?" the coyote inquired.

The hedgehog was literally screaming in the inside, "Yes, how could I've been so blind!" he exclaimed.

"Are you mocking me?" the coyote slowly walked towards the mammal.

"N-no sir." the prickly animal babbled.

"Good. Now, stop being a prick and start looking around the place for those fucking tracks for Christ's sake." the coyote went back to searching the contents of the boxes.

"Y-yeah, I'll get right on that." the small mammal sighed.

_Ringo's going to get us all killed! This man is full of bloodlust and stupidity! I'll make a run for it when the time comes, until then, I'll just have to deal with this madness_. Charlie thought to himself.

He walked around the area, not bothering in searching for the tracks, if there was even any. He held his handgun close to his side as he made his way to the small green tent.

While the mammal was approaching the small tent, Ringo was treating himself to some manga. Manga were the playboy magazines, right? Charlie knew what they were, but really? Manga? A whole box full of these graphic novels! An anime lover's Christmas dream during the apocalypse! There were about fifty to sixty books of these novels inside.

"Who the hell would take a box full of comic books with them during a zombie apocalypse? And they're not even the porn kinds!" Ringo exclaimed, flipping through the pages. Last time he read a book, a long ass time ago, he sure that the pages opened from the right side.

"Wow, I must have been locked up for a long time." Ringo said to himself. "Might actually give these a try." he added.

Charlie ignored all the stupid things Ringo was saying and focused on the tent. He looked around, grabbed his knife from his belt, and slowly walked towards the tent.

The hedgehog slowly opened the tent, gasping at the body he saw laying inside. However, he smell of rotting corpse didn't smack him in the face. He took a closer look at the body; it's chest was raising and falling.

He entered the tent, his body reflecting the green tint. He placed his gun back in his holster, examining the body. He knew what species it was, but not the breed. It was a canine, it was a she. His heart dropped, if Ringo finds her, she'll be wishing that she was dead.

"Hey, Charlie, you find anything?" a beaver by the name of Greg spoke. He was too skinny to be classified as a beaver. He was missing his left eye from a fight he had back at the prison, along with his tail. That didn't make it either. His A bandage was used on the injured socket, another was used to rap around his head which was keeping the side of his face from falling off. It looked like he was wearing an eye patch. "One-eye" was his nickname. Well, one guy thought is was, but he's six feet underground now.

The hedgehog panicked, he'd have to keep her hidden from them, "Nope, I got nothing! But, I did find this cool tent."

"Alright, I guess. Come on out, I need to talk to you." Greg said.

Oh God, what the hell does he want?

"Charlie?" Greg called.

"I'm going, I'm going." Charlie said, exiting the tent, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Listen, I know what you're up to. I'm only going to tell you this now: don't start playing stupid with me, you're only going to dig a deeper grave for yourself." Greg said.

Charlie's eyes widened, "What on earth are you-"

"There's a person in the tent. Stop playing dumb. The others might be clueless, but not me. We lived in the same cell long enough for me to know when you're lying." Greg said, stepping closer to the mammal.

Charlie looked around, Ringo was still reading his manga, the others were pushing each other around, still looking for those tracks.

"Dammit, Greg, just… don't tell Ringo." he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Calm down, I won't snitch on you. I fucking hate snitchers." the beaver said.

"Y-you won't? Why not? Who the hell are you and what have you done with my Gregory?" Charlie inquired, shocked by the beaver's decision.

"What? You want me to snitch on you?"

"No! Dear Lord, no."

"Well then? Lucky you, I'm not. You think I would do that to you? Just because we had a rough history together, doesn't mean that I'll do that to you. Being caught with this will get you killed. I won't tell. Jesus, we sound like a bunch of kindergarteners." Greg chuckled.

"I don't know how the hell you're going to get away with this one. But if you do get caught, I had no word in this, got it?" Greg inquired.

"Yeah, these lips are sealed."

"Good. Let's hope they stay that way… and did you say "My Gregory"?" beaver inquired.

"Did I? Hmm, must of slipped." Charlie chuckled, rubbing his head.

"No one's called me by my formal name, you dork." the beaver chuckled before giving the hedgehog a kiss. His body tingled. His heart raced. They still had that spark.

"Does this mean we're back together?" Charlie inquired.

Greg smiled as he walked away, "Who said we broke up?"

He knew it. Greg was always the one not to note or mention his sexuality but, Charlie knew what was going through his head. He's always a tough nut to crack. Charlie couldn't help but to chuckle at that saying.

Then the though of the girl inside the tent came back to haunt him.

Oh shit. How the hell am I supposed to pull this one off? he thought.

"Hey boss, I found one!" an inmate called.

"Shit," Charlie spoke.

"Ah, fucking finally! And just when I was about to get up and look for them myself!" Ringo sighed in relief, "Alright, let's get going!" the coyote ordered.

"Wait!" the hedgehog yelled.

Ringo turned his head to the small mammal, "Jesus, what is it this time?" he inquired.

"What if this all a trap? What if this whole thing is a scam?" Charlie asked the leader.

"I'm listening," Ringo answered.

"That box full of manga? Who the hell brings that into a zombie apocalypse? What if these people want us to find them? What if they're like us? S-smart?" Charlie knew "smart" wasn't the right word to describe the group.

"Hmm, come to think of it, the manga collection did throw me off. What do you suggest?" Ringo asked the hedgehog.

"I suggest that you leave two people here, just in case they come back?" Charlie inquired.

"Hmm, okay, alright, you got me. Charlie, since you're the only one smart enough to find flaw in these people's plan, I want you to stay here and guard this place. You see anyone, you shoot to kill, got it? They couldn't have gotten far." Ringo said, getting his bag ready.

"I can stay with him." Greg offered.

"Oh God. Fine, but I better not come back to see you two fucking each other. You keep your gayness to yourselves. That's something I don't want to fuck with." the coyote said.

"You got it, Ringo." Charlie smiled.

"See you guys in a few hours. If we don't find this group, we'll come back and start planning on hunting Raymond's group." Ringo said as the group of escapees began following the tire tracks back into the woods. For some reason, Ringo felt uneasy with this decision. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling of leaving those two alone. But then again, it's Charlie that carries the brains of the group.

Charlie waited a good two minutes before quickly looking inside the tent. The canine was still sleeping, or still unconscious. Charlie sighed.

Greg popped his head in the tent, examining the body that was laying inside, "Is she bit?" he inquired.

"I don't know, I haven't had the chance to check. Maybe if I…" the hedgehog turned the body around, revealing her belly, causing her legs to drop open, revealing her… self.

"Jesus, close her legs!" Greg shouted, shielding his eyes from the sight.

"Oh God, sorry about that…" Charlie's face turned red. Awkwardness filled the small space. The hedgehog looked over her body. No wounds or bites were present. Charlie placed his paw on her forehead to check for a fever but found a bump instead.

"Hmm, something must have knocked her out cold. Or someone tried to kill her. Or maybe she inflicted that to herself on propose." Charlie noted.

"Well, it didn't work, she's still breathing. She's lucky not have been eaten when she was out." Greg said.

"Wait, these people were able to take down the horde, why did they leave her here? Couldn't they have just checked or even bother to look for her? I mean, they knew where she was, I don't see why they would just leave her here, all alone." Charlie asked, still examining her forehead with his paw, checking for more bumps, "She doesn't have a fever, that's good."

"C'mon, leave her be. When she wakes up, maybe she'll tell us what happened." Greg said, exiting the tent.

The hedgehog sighed, knowing that the beaver left. He examined the knife he hid from Greg. It was bloodied, and small pieces of flesh lingered on the blade. He found it when he turned her body over. Thank God for that accidental "distraction".

He took one last look at the canine and thought: _What did you do?_

* * *

><p><strong>It's been an entire year since I posted the very first chapter to this story. Now, 70,000+ words, we are here. I just want to thank all of you who've read this far. I hope you continue following this "epic" 'till the end. Spoiler alert: not in a few years. <strong>

**So, schedule. Here's how it works: **

**I'm updating every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Once I've covered an entire week, I won't be updating for a week.**

**So, today, Jan. 20th, Jan. 22nd, Jan. 24, skipping 25th-31st, and back on track on Feb. 1st. Episodes are weekly. Ten of them are in store. We'll be done with this season by May. Hopefully, I can get the third season up and running by the end of the year. I'm already working on it. **

**That's about it. What's this season going to be about? Well, it's going to focus on their decisions, funtionality, and morality sakes as a group. Quite a few deaths are coming. Even a few battles. Can't wait for you to read those parts.**

**See you Jan. 20th! Or, if you're in Europe, the 21st. :P**


	30. Miles Behind: Part Three

Sunlight shined through the small crevasses in the dense forest, whose trees were beginning to lose their leaves. The breeze was picking up. Winter was right around the corner. The month of November was almost up, and the cold clutches of December was creeping closer.

Dead leaves blanketed the soil. The layer was about two to three inches deep. It was miraculous that this many leaves were lost during the fall. And in a short amount of time too.

The hot sun was beating down on them. The heroes from last night had finally taken off their riot gear. Except Rico. He thought the riot gear made him look buff and handsome. Though, he was being boiled in the inside of the suit. But, in the end, it was all worth it. Some of the girls here were giving him glances. It was probably working. That or they were probably thinking he's a mad man for wearing that. But, Rico thought otherwise.

"How much more 'till the town?" Skipper asked the two in his group.

"Not much. We'll be there by dusk." Negan answered.

"What time is it?" Piper inquired.

Kowalski glanced at the shadows of the trees, "Half past three in the afternoon by the looks of it." he answered. Skipper smiled at this.

"Wait, hold up. Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Erik inquired, squinting his eyes.

The group turned their heads to where the fruit bat was looking. Past the trees, a group of houses were settled off in the distance.

Faces lit up. All turned to Skipper, which answered: "How's everyone's opinion on taking a break?" the leader asked the group.

Sighs were exchanged. Their new path was to the what looked to be a secluded area of houses.

"We'll be there by tomorrow, I guess." the Red Husky said to himself.

* * *

><p>"When do you think she'll wake up?" Charlie asked his partner.<p>

"I have no earthly idea. Hell, I don't even know how she'll take in all this." Greg replied.

"We'll have to convince Ringo somehow to stay here just for a little while." the hedgehog suggested.

"_Us_? You mean _you_?" Greg interrupted.

"Right. I could really use your help right now, you know?" Charlie said.

"How 'bout this? When shit starts hitting the fan, I'll help you. I don't know how. I don't know when, but I promise, I will help you. Hell, we can leave this shit group when they return. Somehow sneak our way out." the beaver suggested.

"Why can't we just leave now?" Charlie asked.

"You really want to face the world now?" Greg inquired.

"The sun's out. If we go now, maybe we can find that picnic area that other group found?"

"You really think that that's a good idea?"

"It's all I got."

"And what if we run into that group? They'll kill us if they find us."

"I'm pretty sure they haven't seen us."

"Charlie… I was the one who shot that girl." Greg muttered.

Charlie stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say. He just said the first thing that popped up in his mind: "M-maybe they're not there."

"And if they are?"

"How do we know that they know it was you who pulled the trigger?"

"We don't."

"And who's to say that we're trying to look for them? Ringo's gonna be hunting them down soon. If we somehow meet up with them, Ringo's going to kill us. We can just stage the whole thing. Have some blood splatters here and there, blend in with a horde. Ringo's a psychopathic idiot. With both of our minds together, we can fool him."

"Like taking candy from a baby." the beaver said.

"That's cruel. But then again, we went to jail for murder." Charlie chuckled.

"Hmm, you know what I miss about prison? The times we spent alone together. Remember that time in the showers?" Greg chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember that. If only it was that easy."

The beaver slowly walked up to him, "Who's to say we have to leave right now? Why don't we use this time together to get to know one another… more intimate?"

"I brought a tent. Would that help?" Charlie asked.

"You tell me." Greg said, giving Charlie a kiss on the lips.

* * *

><p>The comforting rays of the sun were long gone. The sky was cloudy and dark. The moon was nowhere to be seen. It was probably a new moon or it was suffocated by the clouds.<p>

But they didn't need the sun to see or feel comfort. They had something that the cavemen used: fire. The small fire pit was burning in the middle of the road. Houses stood on each side of the asphalt. Everyone was huddled around the fire.

There were about six houses. They were built in a circle. It was most likely a cal-de-sac. The group was in the middle of the road, surrounded by houses. Four were finished while two were under construction.

The heat from the fire was enough to keep their minds off the cold. It was probably in the low sixties. Skipper and his men were used to this weather back in New York. Snow would always blanket their neighborhood. Besides, they're penguins. This was nothing. Not even a breeze.

For the others, it was freezing. It felt like being stripped naked and dumped on the icy glaciers of Antarctica. Thanks to the layer of fat the penguins had, they could handle the freezing temperatures. Negan had his thick coat to shield him from the cold. The others, it was rather difficult to think about the tiny fire than the icy winds that practically counted as a blizzard.

Raymond and Tanya came back from a perimeter check. They kept each other warm with a love session, away from all the houses and fences. There wasn't any corpses that were peeping, thank God.

"Anything?" Skipper inquired.

Raymond glanced at his mate, "Nothing. I'm pretty sure we're not being spied on either." the lemur answered.

"It's surprising that a fence is what's protecting this place. Makes you wonder why they were here. What these people were doing, thinking." Tanya said, sitting down on the cool asphalt next to Piper.

The penguin never took her eyes off of the flames. The fire reflected in her eyes. It was almost like in the movies where a character gets enraged and his or her eyes grow flames in their eyes. It was almost like that.

Her fury was being bottled up inside her. If she doesn't take it out on someone, she might explode. Her inner fire was what kept her from spiraling into a deep depression. All that was comforting her, were the thoughts of slaughtering Ringo.

His blood spilling on the floor. His eyes meeting hers as she drives her knife into his stomach, tearing his insides apart. Those were the thoughts that kept her warm. In the end, she hopes of it being a reality.

"You okay?" The lemur asked.

Piper just turned to her and replied, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just wish that I had a gun of my own. Heading inside the estate. Opening fire on the bastards. Saving Ringo for last. That's what I'm thinking about, if you're wondering. I'm not thinking about my sisters. The haunting images of my sister being killed in my arms, no. I'm going to kill Ringo. That's what's keeping me going. That's the reason I'm fine." Piper answered, calmly.

This took Tanya aback. She didn't expect that kind of answer from a simple question. Then again, she did lose her sisters. Best to leave her be. At least she's not depressed.

Skipper eyed the female penguin. He didn't like her answer. He's pretty sure he's not the only one thinking the same thing.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Private spoke. His face glowing with the flames.

"Thank you." she replied, fixing her eyes back at the fire.

"Who's to say that we have to leave here? I mean, look at this place. It's got a fence that's surrounding the perimeter, There's about seven to eight houses; enough for everybody, it seems like too good of a place to leave behind, right?" Kelsi inquired.

"Because there's a possible gold mine of supplies just waiting for us to collect it. If we keep sitting here with our asses hanging out in the cold, it won't be long before someone actually does raid the entire town. That's why we need t o get going by tomorrow. No later than that." Negan answered, his breath visible in front of him.

"Skipper?" Erik called to the leader.

The flat-headed penguin stared into the flames. A million thoughts were racing around his mind. All were simulating worst case scenarios, how many days they have before they eventually run out of food and drinking water, and worst of all, how he was going to kill Ringo.

He'd already killed a hand full of men when the world went to hell. He didn't want to kill anyone anymore. He was exhausted, frightened, and anxious. The worst combination for a man his age.

"Skipper?" Marlene called, worried that the leader was in some sort of a trance, again.

"We'll stay for a few nights. Then we'll start moving on. We're miles behind Ringo and his men. We have about the same amount of people. We probably even more." Skipper finally answered.

"Are you sure you want to risk that? You do know what's at stake, right?" Negan asked the leader.

"Of course I do." Skipper answered.

"Since you seem to know everything," Negan began.

"How about telling us how Fort Benning fell?" Raymond finished the canine's sentence.

This caught Skipper's attention, "That's classified." he answered.

"So you have been at Fort Benning, huh?" Kyle spoke. He hadn't said anything since they escaped Ringo's clutches.

"I didn't. I just said that it was classified." Skipper said.

"Oh it wasn't you who told us, it was one of your little feathery friends here." Negan said, turning to Kowalski.

"I never said we came from Fort Benning. I just said that we're not from Georgia." Kowalski defended.

"Your buddy Rico's suit says otherwise." Negan shot back.

Everyone turned to the weapon expert. The penguin just sat there, over come with stage fright, "Wuh?" Rico croaked, slowly taking the suit off.

"Look, we don't want to cause any trouble, we just want answers. Maybe you can answer those questions _that are tearing us apart_?" Negan asked, referencing to the little talk they had before rescuing Skipper and the others.

"You guys are united. Like we promised, now it's your turn to return the favor." Christian spoke.

"What the hell are they talking about, Kowalski?" Skipper asked the strategist.

"We may have leaked information about our whereabouts." the scientist answered, nervously.

"WHAT?!" Skipper barked.

"No need to get into a fight. Arguing won't change the matter of what's done. It happened, we can't change what happened." Ray jumped in.

"Fine." Skipper growled, "Kowalski, since you caused this mess, why don't you explain to the people of how society has crumbled?" Skipper asked.

He was obviously pissed off, but Skipper's always like this. It didn't really bother the penguins or Marlene.

"Ahem, before there's any confusion, Skipper may have worded that wrong. I did not in fact cause this. I'm just as curious myself. I just wish we had a bit more time with the people who worked there." Kowalski began. Ryan and Marlene lowered their heads down for the loss of McMaster and Corbett.

"Okay, so with that out of the way, what questions do you want answered?" Kowalski asked the group.

"How 'bout telling us how you guys got all the way down here?" Christian inquired.

Kowalski took a deep breath, "Ok, but you all better be pay attention, I'm not going to repeat myself, so if you missed a part, you can asked the person next to you."

The group agreed to this. Skipper sat there, heating up from the sheer amount of nervousness. Should he tell them? He can't.

_They're not ready. Soon. But… will they be ready then? Until the stages start, he tell them. They'll hate him for this. Anarchy might occur. But, until then, he'll be prepared. Who knows who'll be alive for that._ Skipper thought.

The scientist began, "We were in New York…"

* * *

><p><strong>One more chapter to this episode. I forgot to mention, I won't be updating on Saturday this week because I posted the first chapter on New Years. If I post the first chapter to the second episode, my schedule would be out of whack (Couldn't help but chuckle at that word). <strong>

**So, one more chapter, then I'm back on the 1st! See you on Thursday! :) **


	31. Miles Behind: Finale

"The day started like no other. It was a Tuesday, I believe. I was on duty, Rico was stuck at the office because of so many calls on traffic; how slow it was. Then he informed me that he started getting calls that there was a riot in the streets." Kowalski explained.

"I was with Marlene, we were about to have breakfast when Private home. He said that he had forgotten his walkie-talkie in his office." Skipper added.

"I was one of the first responders when the calls of the riot started to flood in through the station. While driving, I though: New Yorkers rioting about a traffic jam? Hell, we get those every single day. Did everyone suddenly lose their minds? Only when I got there, I learned that they did in a way." Ray spoke.

"Turns out, the riots were the dead preying on the living. As much as I hated thinking about reanimating corpses, I just stopped caring after a period of time. I was cornered when the first wave hit. They were coming in from the North, from Central Park. I was able to plow my way through." Kowalski said.

"Me and Private drove back to the station, after Private informed me about the riots. We got caught within the first wave of the undead. They just leaped onto their prey and just started feasting on them. The amount of blood was insane. You could almost see the blood in the breeze." Skipper said.

"I was with my old partner when it all happened. I told him to stay in the vehicle until I got back. When I was cornered, I didn't know what to do. I just started shooting the things that were feasting on these people. I turned to see the car infested with Runners." Ray said.

"You never told me that you had a partner with you." Kowalski said.

"I chose not to tell you."

"Who was it?"

"Higgs." Ray answered.

"Really? I thought he was transferred to New Jersey?" Kowalski inquired.

"He was, that was his last day. Only, it was literally his last day." Ray said, morbidly.

"So, you guys are in New York, the dead are attacking, then what?" Kyle asked.

"Me and Private were able to exit the car, only to be ambushed with a helicopter falling from the sky. We were forced to change course. We met a few soldiers. It's weird how fast they got there, especially since we were in the middle of Manhattan." Skipper answered.

"Rico was still at the station, I met Ray shooting his way through a whole crowd of them. We drove to the station together." Kowalski explained.

"Me and Private were able to get to the station to find it empty. Then Rico and another officer burst in through the cubicles. Kowalski and Ray followed." Skipper said.

"What's his name?" Piper asked.

Skipper turned to her, raising a brow.

"The other officer?"

"Stet. His name was Stet." Private answered.

"Is he not here?" Naomi inquired, looking around the small camp.

Skipper's head along with the others lowered so their eyes met the ground, "He didn't make it." he answered the wolf's question.

Silence. It stayed like that for a minute or so, as if they were taking a moment of silence for him. Skipper almost forgot about his former teammate. His stomach lurched just thinking of it; forgetting a person.

"I'm- We're sorry for your loss." Icy spoke.

"Thank you." Marlene said when no one else took the sign of respect.

"What about you Marlene? We haven't heard from you yet." Raymond asked the sea otter.

"I was at my house, watching the morning weather report, even though Skipper told me not to worry about it." Marlene answered.

"The turned black and this alarm went off. It sounded just like the movies when a character slowly walks towards the television when the darn thing was blaring out noises. Only, this was really happening." she trailed off.

Molly, a Golden Retriever, placed her paw on Marlene's back, "That's when they started announcing what was happening. Some outbreak of a pathogen was detected in my area. There I was, dumbfounded, looking blankly at the screen. Then the sounds of helicopters started. I looked out my living room window to see the Brooklyn Bridge being destroyed. The others followed." Marlene had the images rolling in her head.

The bright reds, the burning oranges, and the blinding yellows. The smoke followed after the light show. Then, the dust and the faint sound of cables snapping and twisting was heard. Sections of the bridge then started to fall into the water.

"We all crammed into one vehicle and hightailed it out of there. We were faced with crossing the bridge in order to pick Marlene up from her house. When we were barely crossing over, we witnessed the bridge next to us explode, shatter, and plunge into the water below. We saw that ours was next." Private spoke.

"And what's the first thing Skipper does?" Kowalski turned to the leader.

"I step on the gas pedal and by a few feet, we missed the missile that would knock down the road of metal and steel." Skipper answered.

"We made it. We fucking made it." Ray chuckled, now really thinking about it.

"I just cant believe what I'm hearing. It's like I'm listening to a Greek epic." Piper said, her mood seemed to be looking a lot better.

"We would have died there. All of us." Skipper said.

"While you guys were dodging rockets, I was in New Jersey, with two of my friends. We were at my apartment, discussing our strategy. When we heard about people coming back from the dead, to feast on the living, we automatically thought: zombies, like any other person would think." Ryan said, half laughing, half crying.

"We thought, it was finally here. Our propose: surviving the zombie apocalypse. We… we were just being fucking idiots." Ryan's voice dragged.

"We were planning this since we were playing those stupidass games since we were in high school. We kept guns in my apartment. My friends had the supplies and other things ready. But when the actual apocalypse happened, they were consumed by the shit storm of reanimated corpses." a few tears ran down his face, "Jesus, sorry if I'm being such a big baby."

"I'm sorry." Tanya said.

"I just really miss them, you know?" the canine sniffled, "I was just about to stick a pistol in my mouth and pull the trigger, but then I saw the next wave of Geek rushing through what ever was left of my home town. That's when I saw Skipper's group."

"We were still in New York. We split up in search for Marlene and Stet's wife, who also didn't make it. We found Marlene unconscious in her car. We were attacked by a few armed choppers." Skipper said.

"Which explains my fucked up leg." Ray said.

"Luckily, none of us get mortally injured. We left in search of medical supplies. Once again, a wave of Runners plowed through. We had to get out of there quickly." Kowalski said.

"We made it to Ryan's town before we ran out of gas. The wave came and attacked us. Ryan helped us by taking us in his home. That's when we found Charlotte." Skipper turned to the young otter.

"My parents were dead by the time they got there. They had turned into those undead things. I told them that my dad worked for the CDC and that we were supposed to go to Fort Benning for something. I forgot." Charlotte trailed off.

"To help find a cure. Supposedly, he had the cure. But sadly, the disease took him before he took the disease." Kowalski noted.

"So the only guy who could have saved us, is dead?" Tanya inquired.

"He wasn't the only one who had a possible explanation for all of this. We were met with a man named McMaster. He flew us all the way down here in order to find s cure for this thing." Kowalski answered.

"So... what happened?" Kyle asked.

"When we reached the facility, they showed us a map with all the statistics of the disease. How far it spread, how many infected, alive, dead, everything." Kowalski answered.

"They showed you guys a map?" Kelsi asked.

"That's correct." Kowalski answered.

"Why would they show you a map? How broad was it?" Raymond asked.

Skipper and the others stayed silent.

"I know why. This thing isn't only affecting the East Coast. This thing is widespread, isn't it?" Piper said.

"It's global." Kowalski answered.

Mouths dropped. Piper got up and walked away. It was taken that she had had enough of this conversation.

"Where are you going?" Skipper asked the penguin.

"I'm checking the perimeter." Piper answered.

If it's global, then, nowhere is safe. Wherever we go, there they are. We won't be able to outrun it." Tanya said.

"While you were there, did they tell you how many people were infected?" Erik inquired.

"If I could recall, they mentioned somewhere in the trillions. About one-third of the world's population is infected. And about a few hundred billion are either reanimated or deceased." Kowalski answered.

"I-I don't know what to say." Erik stuttered.

"Is the disease airborne?" Raymond inquired.

"We're not sure yet, when we got there, they were still trying to figure it out. They were doing experiments on patients. One scientist sliced through the skull of a victim who had the disease and died. When they exposed the cranium, a tumor was found." Kowalski answered.

"Then it just… burst." Private followed.

"Damn. This is some sci-fi stuff we're hearing." Kyle said.

"It's gets worse. Supposedly, this all has to do with cordyceps." Kowalski said.

"Cordyceps? What are they?" Kyle inquired.

"It's a fungus that invades the brain. It basically takes over your brain and your movement. The fungus leads you to a place to die before it sprouts out of your cerebrum. That sprout then sends spores to unsuspecting populations." Kowalski answered.

"Which explains why it spread so fast." Skipper added.

"But it doesn't answer the fact that it reanimated the dead. It's something completely out of science fiction. But, here they are, roaming the earth." Kowalski sighed.

"So, these tumors are the cordyceps breaking out of the cranium? That-that's unbelievable. I thought it just affected ants." Raymond said.

"We thought so too, until we possibly saw them crawling inside the brains of beasts. Who would of thought that a plant could decimate civilization?" Skipper thought.

"We could still stop it, right?" Kelsi inquired.

"If we're lucky." Skipper said.

"What about the CDC? Weren't they working on a cure before the power went out. Maybe we could get out of this mess." Erik said in a hopeful note.

"Maybe. But it will take months, maybe even years. Who knows who'll be there when it does get discovered? Hell, who knows if the CDC is still running? With all these hordes, it'll be nearly impossible to find one in time." Kowalski said.

"That's all the information we got. We were only there for a day." Ray said.

"Well, there was that file that McMaster gave Skipper." Kowalski turned to his leader.

"It just listed the symptoms of the disease. Fever, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, et cetera. Then, it got to the real nasty ones. Tumors, necroses, internal hemorrhaging. Then death comes. Then, reanimation." Skipper said.

"I'd never thought you'd be talking like this. The wold has truly changed." Kowalski chuckled.

"I'm surprised I actually remembered all that. There was a bunch of charts, graphs, and more charts. The darn thing gave me a migraine." Skipper sighed, rubbing his head.

"So, what's the plan? Where do we go from here?" Kyle inquired.

"We get through this. We survive. Isn't that right, Skipper?" Raymond asked the leader.

Was his gut broken? His gut wasn't telling him that these guys mean trouble. It's like his gut died along with the world. Then again… his gut was going mental throughout the conversation. It mustn't be off. Because it's right about that thing.

"You said it. We ride this thing out until our throats are ripped from us." Skipper said. Then the images of Trent came back to him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. What I mean is that we'll fight until we can't no more. Which, I know won't happen. After that night, you all seem like pretty strong people. Especially you." Skipper turned to the female penguin.

Turns out she didn't really leave. She was just walking around the road, with no propose. She looked at the leader. His eyes were fixed on hers. She didn't smile. All she did was nod.

Skipper turned to the rest of the group, "You all should get some shut-eye. We have a big day tomorrow. We're going to need everyone rested up. For tomorrow, we train. If you all are going to make it through this, you all need to know how to fight, fire a weapon, and how to survive by yourself, in case we get separated." Skipper said.

"We know how to shoot a gun, Skipper." Raymond spoke.

"Really now?" Skipper smirked.

"You're talking to a bunch of Southerners, Skipper. You'll soon find that this state is as armed as Texas." Raymond smiled.

"Now, bed time for everybody. If you're thinking about getting a little extra cozy tonight, at least be quite about it." Skipper ordered.

Raymond and Tanya snickered. "Yes, Skipper." Tanya smiled.

"глупый" Tanya spoke to her boyfriend.

"мы должны добраться до постели." Raymond replied.

Tanya smiled at him, rapped her arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked towards a finished house. The bats and the wolves followed.

"There's a lot of us. Not enough houses to go around. We're going to have to share." Kelsi said.

"We can share one. That way the penguins have their own with their people." Naomi said.

Erik turned to Icy and Molly, "You guys can crash with us if you like?"

"Thank you, but we're staying with Andrea and Madison. I need to keep check on Madison. After what she went through…" Icy answered.

"Alright, well, goodnight!" Kyle said.

"Goodnight!" Icy replied.

Skipper and his group stayed surrounding the small fire. Negan and Christian stayed as well.

"You all need to get some sleep too. There's still one house vacant." Skipper said.

"And leave you hear in the dark?" Charlotte said.

"We're staying. Don't want you to feel lonely." Private said.

"You're all going to need your energy tomorrow. Go get your rest. Please? I'm even asking." Skipper insisted.

"Fine, Ray? You need help getting over there?" Kowalski asked the lemur.

"Yes, please." he replied, grabbing his crutches.

Private and Charlotte got up along with Marlene.

"You sure you don't want any company?" Marlene inquired.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to take watch. Someone's gotta keep us safe." Skipper said.

"Well, goodnight." Marlene said.

"Is it cool if I can crash with you guys?" Christian asked.

"Make that two." Piper said.

"Of course. Me casa es tu livre." Ryan answered.

"You just said that you're house was his book. And you mixed Spanish with French." Kowalski said.

"Eh, I was never good at either." Ryan said.

"I can tell." Kowalski said. Charlotte and Negan stayed behind.

"You can never listen, can you?" Skipper inquired.

"Nope." Charlotte answered, laying her head on his lap and shutting her eyes.

"She's a keeper." Negan said.

"Yeah, she is." Skipper said.

"Well, since you got yourself trapped with the child, I think I'll be the one who'll do the perimeter check." Negan said, picking up his bow.

"Thanks. Hopefully you don't run into something." Skipper said.

Faint gunshots were heard. Skipper became alert, reaching for his pistol. His revolver was still out of ammo, sadly.

"I'll check it out. I won't be too long. But, keep your eyes peeled, who knows what's out there." Negan said, walking towards the sounds of the blasts.

"Ringo's out there." Skipper said.

"Hopefully, not for too long." Negan said before disappearing into the trees.

Skipper stayed put. Flipper on his weapon. He felt uneasy. He felt… like someone was watching them. Then, the gunshot was heard.

* * *

><p>In a tent, Charlie was in the arms of Greg, under the sheets that the beaver brought.<p>

"Charlie? Greg? Where are you two fuckers?!" the familiar voice called.

Charlie's eyes flew open, "Holy shit, Ringo!" he yipped.

Greg groaned, rubbing his eyes, "…Uh, wh-what?" he managed to mutter out.

"Ringo's here!" Charlie said, frantically searching for his clothes. He just managed to put on his boxers before rushing out the tent. Greg sighed before rolling on his side, pulling the sheets off.

Charlie crawled out of the small tent, meeting Ringo who just popped out of the tree line.

"Ah fuck, what the hell did I just say about this?" Ringo asked, aggravated.

Just then, Greg walked out of the tent, bare. "About what?" he asked.

Ringo quickly shielded his eyes, "Jesus! Put some fucking clothes on!"

"Oh what? _This_? You've seen _this_ before, Ringo. Let's not forget about _that_, kid." Greg smiled. Charlie rushed inside grabbing the comforter and covered Greg with it.

"It's that memory I want to repress." he answered, un-shielding his eyes.

"As much as how good it felt?" Greg asked, cocking his head.

"You're fucking disgusting." Ringo spat. The bushes and shrubs started rustling, scaring Charlie.

"Who was that?" Charlie inquired, hiding behind Greg. The beaver smiled.

"Good fucking question, Charlie." Ringo chuckled before turning around towards the unknown, "Come on out." he called.

* * *

><p><strong>Next time on: The Dead<strong>

"You ever been to Alaska, Skipper?" the canine inquired.

"You're from Alaska?" the leader asked.

"Born and raised."

...

"Don't move or I'll shoot."

"Place your gun on the floor, penguin."

...

"You do what we say, and we won't hurt you." Kowalski threatened, pointing his Glock at the man's forehead.

"I-I'll shoot!"

"Do what he says!" he yelled as gunfire erupted.

...

"Get him inside!" Skipper fired.

...

"I'm only going to ask this once more. Are you working for Ringo?" Skipper asked again.

"I never though I would ever hear that name again." he replied.

...

"Now, what happened after you met Ringo?" Skipper ordered.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" the leader barked.

...

"NO!" Skipper yelled, pulling the trigger of his Glock.

* * *

><p><strong>In Memoriam: <strong>

**Jeffery**

**Surprise zombies**

**Higgs (mentioned)**

**Ryan's friends (mentioned)**

**The estate**

* * *

><p>Next episode: Torn Apart<p>

Coming: Feb 1st.

* * *

><p>Translations:<p>

глупый: Silly/Stupid.

мы должны добраться до постели: We need to get to bed.


	32. Torn Apart: Part One

**Here's "Torn Apart". Lots of symbolism and foreshadowing. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on: "The Dead",<strong>

"How much more?" Erik whispered.

"Not much, now shut up before they crawl on top of us." Negan answered.

...

"Oh, Madison, I'm so sorry. I should of… oh God, I'm so sorry." Andrea cried, hugging her sister to death. The young Labrador returned the hug. Finally. She was embraced by something warm and loving. Andrea was her only family.

...

"Trent?" Andrea inquired, looking around the area. She caught no sight of the male penguin.

Skipper shook his head, answering the penguin's absence.

"Oh God." Tanya whispered.

...

"Alright, you know the drill, we'll follow the tracks left by the vehicles. Just like Atlanta." the canine said, looking for any signs of tire tracks.

...

"Listen, I know what you're up to. I'm only going to tell you this now: don't start playing stupid with me, you're only going to dig a deeper grave for yourself." Greg said.

...

"...This thing isn't only affecting the East Coast. This thing is widespread, isn't it?" Piper said.

"It's global." Kowalski answered.

...

"Hunting season's come early." the devil spoke in a raspy voice.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Prologue<strong>_

Snowflakes slowly drifted towards the ground, blanketing everything they touched. Dark clouds towered over a large facility. Most of its windows were blown out by the fire that was raging from the inside. Crops that once grew on the right side of the building, now ashes. What could feed hundreds of people, now laid decimated.

The sounds of gunfire blasted. The war wasn't over. Though, both sides were completely desolated by the onslaught of sieges and the bombardments of the plague's stages. No one was left, except for Prague and the Kingdom.

If they lose this one, it'll be the end of them all. The shear scent of iron lingered from all the blood that was spilled on the land. Hundreds died over the course of weeks. More were to follow.

A grizzly bear threw an uppercut, knocking a penguin on the ground. His face was bruised. Cuts and scars from the past mark their territory on his face. A red circle wrapped around one of his icy blue iris'. It was discovered that the red circle was imprinted permanently on his eye from that fearful day. A day that many of his friends died. The battle he was facing right now did not compare to that day.

Blood ran down his beak. That punch he threw broke his beak. This wouldn't be the first time that his beak fractured. Unable to speak and choking on his own blood, the penguin found himself being lifted up in the air.

The grizzly bear had an open would on his thigh from the machete the penguin once held. A tool that was once used to cut rain forest undergrowth and sugar cane in Latin America, now a weapon used to gut a grizzly bear. Sadly, the penguin failed in doing so.

The bear slammed the penguin on one of the windows, sending shards of glass everywhere and knocking the air out of his lungs. The bear tightened his grip on the penguin's throat. The penguin was missing one-third of his left flipper. It was hacked from an earlier incident. They were so close. They had just finished their civil war. Now, they were under war with this psychotic man.

"You're done, penguin." the bear spoke in guttural voice.

The penguin didn't struggle. He was weak, tired, and crippled. More that ninety percent of his friends were gone. He witnessed mostly all of them. From the beginning to the end. He was done. He had nothing else. Everything was taken away from him. They lost. He would soon be in the arms of his friends in heaven. That was the only real comfort he had left. Just waiting for death to come. The thought gave him warmth.

The bear loosened his grip and the penguin collapsed on the floor, landing on the pile of glass that ripped his back apart and gasping for air. His temples finally getting the proper flow of blood. His brain started functioning again. Well, what was left of his brain. The bear looked down on his foe. The one person he wanted dead the most laid on the snowy floor coughing and gasping.

"No. Not yet. There's still some of your friends left. I want you to live through that; me tearing your friends apart in front of your one good eye. I'll make sure you'll suffer through it all. Just like I did to that husky of yours." the bear grabbed the bloody machete from the ground. The snowflakes stuck on to the blood.

"Your friends are rushing over here as I speak. I'll be waiting." the bear took a seat on a stump and drove the machete down to the ground, embedding it on the frozen soil. He glanced on the penguin. His chest was raising and falling.

"You lost, Private." he spoke gravely.

The penguin slowly reach behind his back, ripping out a shard of glass that tore into him. He held it in his flipper, slicing his flesh during the process. He laid there, waiting.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season Two**

**Torn Apart**

There were two major roads connecting the capital and the rest of the world. One of them was leading out of Atlanta, filled to the brim with cars. You couldn't even move your car an inch without hitting or bumping in to something. The other one, leading towards the city, was lacking in the metallic polluters. Though, many people used the large space to camp and to settle in for the time being.

People chatted amongst themselves. Either talking about what the hell was going on, or whether the traffic would clear up. Some were talking about the fact of leaving Atlanta. Where would they go? What if the FEMA centers were already packed? This did stir some violence within the survivors.

One prairie dog was looking over the vast sea of vehicles. Good thing most of them were off, otherwise they would of all suffocated from all the exhaust these things would have pumped out.

The ocean of cars extended into the city. Those poor people. They're probably dead. What ever these things are, they would of defiantly have gotten to the people in the very back. Or maybe the military had them under control? But, not a single gunshot was heard. Only the sounds of radios repeating the same thing over and over again.

"You see anything, Dean?" a badger inquired. The badger had a husky build. He had two long black stripes that started from his nose and ran up his face, reaching his eyes, and ran back down his back.

"Nothing but cars, Emmett. It seems to extend all the way towards Atlanta." Dean answered, his icy blue eyes seemed to shine with the darkness of the night.

"Those poor bastards. Any military stuff going on?" Emmett asked.

"Not that I can see. My eye sight isn't as good as it used to be." Dean replied, squinting his eyes.

"Dammit. Any luck on the radio, Magna?" the badger turned to the female canine.

"The broadcast just stopped completely. All we've got for the past few minutes is static. I think the system finally crashed. I wouldn't be surprised if they never come back." Magna replied.

"They'll come around. I hope." Emmett responded.

Dean hopped off his truck, landing on the ground, a sudden shock of pain sprang up in his knee. He tumbled down, hitting his head hard on the asphalt.

"Shit, are you alright?" Emmett ran up to his friend.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Damn knee's been acting up again. Arthritis isn't really helpful during an outbreak." Dean chuckled, getting up from the floor.

"How long until these darn cars get a move on?" A feline inquired, crossing her arms. She put her feet up on the driver's seat. Good thing she was flexible.

"Kaitlyn, get your feet off of Dennis' seat!" a taller lynx ordered. Leah's single father. After her mother's passing, she's been acting this sort of hate towards her parent. "Sorry about that." the lynx apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Let her get comfortable. I don't mind, she's only fourteen, right?" Dennis the ferret replied. Dennis had a small structure. The black streak of black fur made his look like a person wearing a mask.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" he turned to his daughter.

A helicopter flew past., alerting everyone. It was heading towards the city. The gurgling of Dean's stomach was swallowed by the sounds of the chopper's blades, muting it.

"Damn, I'm starving." Emmett spoke.

A woman in the far distance spoke, "Why don't I get him something to eat?… We've got enough M.R.E.s." as the walked towards her car.

"Do you think we should ask her for something?" Dennis inquired.

Just then, a man came and shut the door of the car. He started her down, telling her something that they couldn't pick up. It seemed to be her husband.

"Or not." Emmett said.

"I packed some stuff. It's not much but it's something." Dean said, climbing in his truck. Shuffling through the small boxes.

"Oh, you don't have to." Magna insisted.

"No, I do have to. I'm not going to keep all of this for myself." the prairie dog said, handing the female canine a couple of crackers.

He went around giving everyone a small snack. Apples slices, a bag of Day's, and even more crackers.

"Thanks, Dean." Emmett thanked the mammal.

"Yeah, what we wouldn't do without you. You were the person who got us out of the blasted city." Warren thanked, taking a bite of an apple slice.

The ground shook. People were panicking. What the hell was going on? Some people were running towards the forest. Faint sounds of helicopter blades were heard.

"Is it the military?" Dennis inquired.

"Finally? Are they here to rescue us? They're only a few days late." Emmett inquired.

Rays of light blasted through the cracks of the trees of the dense forest. The ground shaking, the lights, it only meant one thing.

Dean made a run for the forest. The badger and the ferret followed. Running past trees, dodging people left and right, Dean was lucky that his Arthritis didn't kick in.

The mammal made it past the tree line and was met by the bright flashes of light. The deep reds and the fiery oranges. Round objects were being deployed by the choppers. Dean's mouth dropped.

Emmett and Dennis finally met up with the mammal and they too were met by the horrifying images of their beloved city being bombed.

"What the hell are they doing?!" Emmett yelled. Loud blasts of the bombs impacting the ground was deafening. It was like a firework show with all the bright lights.

"They're exterminating the infected." Dean nervously answered.

"But there were people still inside the city!" Dennis shouted.

Dean stayed silent. He was still flummoxed by the images of Atlanta being engulfed by flames. Entire building were scorched and demolished. Flames reached the city's skyline.

"They're exterminating everything. They're keeping the disease inside the city." Dean finally said.

"That's why they're bombing the city?" Emmett inquired.

"And we're next." Dean said in a brittle voice.

"What?" Emmett asked tautly.

"We have to leave this place. Now." Dean ordered. He walked in a fast pace back towards the highway. Back to his vehicle.

"Wait what? What makes you think that they're going to bomb the highway? There's people here!" Emmett yelled, following the prairie dog.

"So did the city." Dean replied.

"But that doesn't mean that they'll bomb-"

"The city was cesspool. The government would want to keep it in the city, so they bombed it. But, with people evacuating the city, there's a chance that someone here might bring the disease outside of Atlanta and infect a refugee camp. They bombed Atlanta, they'll bomb the highway." Dean answered.

Emmett stopped in his tracks. He's about minutes, maybe even seconds away from death.

They made it back to the highway, still no sign of choppers flying over. Maybe they'll just circle back.

"You trusted me into getting you out of the city. Do you still trust me? Or do you want this place to be your grave?" Dean asked both animals.

They looked at each other. Do they? He did get them out of the city, but leaving this place could be a death sentence. Who knows what's out there? Only one way to find out.

"Where would we go?" Dennis inquired.

The prairie dog smiled, "I know of a place." Dean answered.

"How far?" Warren asked.

"Pretty far." Dean answered.

Warren was silent for a minute or two. He has his daughter to worry about. Taking care of Kaitlyn is tough enough, now he has to take care of her outside of the highway barriers. Out in the unknown. Out in the land of the dead. He's wasting time just thinking about this. He just said the first thing that came to mind: "Kaitlyn, get your things. Staying camping for the night." the lynx ordered.

This took Dean by surprise. "Think about what you're doing, Warren."

"I am. I'm not risking my daughter's life out there. We're safe here. We don't know what's out there. There could be thousands of them rushing towards the city because of the explosions. I don't want us to be caught in a horde of them." the lynx explained.

"No. What you're doing is going to get both of us killed. Dean's right. They had no trouble bombing Atlanta, they won't have any trouble bombing the highway. All it takes is a trigger finger." Kaitlyn said tremulously.

Warren glanced at his daughter. She was shaking like a leaf. It surprised him that she would say something like that. She'd rather risk her life with these people she doesn't even know, than to stay with her father, the only person she has right now.

"Emmett, get in the truck. Magna, you too." Dean ordered. He turned to the small family, "So, are you coming?" Dean asked.

Warren didn't take his eyes off of Kaitlyn. "Alright, you got me." he told his daughter. She hugged him for his response, almost toppling her father. He hadn't received an embrace from Kat in… years. Not since her mother died cancer. He only returned the hug.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get going." Dean interrupted.

"You got your bags?" Warren asked, breaking the embrace. She nodded.

"Alright, lets get the hell out of here." Dean said, grabbing his bags from his truck.

He left the doors open, though, it didn't matter. Whoever steals it is still trapped in the highway. Dean turned to the woman who had the M.R.E.s. She too seemed to be leaving the highway. Her husband along with a small child gathered their things. Another woman along with a boy followed. Then, what seemed to be her husband. He had a holster on his belt. He must've been a cop.

The small group made it to the tree line. Rushing past large trees, the sound of leaves crunching under their feet, the breeze of the winter, then, the smell of death. The group ventured deeper into the forest. Deeper into the unknown. Deeper into the teeth of the things that will tear them apart.

* * *

><p><strong>What was up with that prologue? Only time will tell...<strong>

**So, new characters. How will they play into the story? Only time will tell... **

**See you Feb. 3rd!**


	33. Torn Apart: Part Two

**Here's part two. Enjoy! Prepare for a little lovesy-dovesy corniness. Oh lord, the corn.**

* * *

><p>The small logs slowly faded into ashes. The thing that was giving him a sense of comfort was fading in front of his eyes. The fire probably had another ten to twelve minutes in it.<p>

The sound of footsteps brought the leader back into reality. He quickly turned to the source. It was only Negan wondering back to the camp. Skipper let out a sigh of relief. Though, he still didn't trust any of these people. They could turn on him at any moment. Funny. Kowalski would tell him by now that he's being paranoid. Or did Kowalski already tell him?

"What was it?" Skipper inquired.

"A couple of Geek. Not sure about the gunshots, though." Negan answered. The canine had a seat next to Skipper. Though the leader thought it was rather weird that he picked that spot, but really, he only sat there to keep an eye on the location of the gunshots. Both facing separate directions.

"Um…" Skipper started.

"I'm only keeping watch on the source of the noise. Don't worry, I'm not trying to make a move on you." Negan chuckled.

"Uh, okay then. Glad you weren't." Skipper awkwardly replied.

"You ever been to Alaska, Skipper?" the canine inquired.

"I'm from the South Pole." Skipper answered.

"I know, but have you been there?" he asked again.

"I haven't. The only thing close to the icy temperatures of Antarctica are the winters of New York City. We haven't had anything in the negatives yet. It's probably freezing back home." Skipper answered, fixing his flipper on Charlotte's head.

"I think you and your friends would love it."

"Because we're penguins?"

"Because of its beauty. The only place where you see vegetation growing next to glaciers. Not only do you see whites and blues, you also see violets, pinks, greens, browns, just, a variety of different colors."

"I'm can tell you that Antarctica has those colors."

"But not as vibrant as Alaska's." Negan smiled.

Skipper waited a little bit before speaking, "You're from Alaska?" the leader asked.

"Born and raised. My parents didn't give two shits about me when I was born. The first memory I have is of my dad kicking my teeth in. The Alaskan land was what gave me comfort." Negan sighed.

"Why did you ever leave it?" Skipper asked.

Negan was quiet for a minute before answering, "I don't know."

Skipper's eyes trailed off into the distance. Peering off around the small neighborhood. Though, he couldn't see clearly, the small fire's light didn't reach that far. The climate here in the South was tough for him. No penguin should endure this much heat.

"You think on it. You can tell me when you're ready." the leader spoke.

Negan nodded, his eyes facing the ground. When he lifted his head, there two people lurking out of the shadows and were pointing their guns at him about three yards away. He quickly tried to reach for his bow but was caught by the threat: "Don't move or I'll shoot."

Skipper turned to see the person pointing his weapon at the husky. He tried to reach for his pistol.

"Skipper." Negan halted the penguin. The man stood about five feet away from the husky. The other stood in front of Skipper. One more person came out of the forest. He was five yards away. All were armed.

"Place your gun on the floor, penguin." the male ordered.

The man who stood next to Negan spoke, "How about we just shoot th-" but was cut off by the bullet tearing through his head.

Just before either one of them could act, another bullet flew into the leg of the man who was standing in front of Skipper. The cried as he collapsed to the ground. Blood poured out of his wound.

"Skipper?" Charlotte awoke to the sounds of gunshots.

The other aimed his gun at darkness. Unknowing where the gunshots came from. "I-I'll shoot!" he shouted at thin air.

Kowalski stepped out of the shadows along with the others. They all carried their guns. All were pointed at the last man standing. The man started trembling.

"You do what we say, and we won't hurt you." Kowalski threatened, pointing his Glock at the man's forehead.

"Do what he says!" the other man groaned while laying on the floor.

Out of pure fear, he slowly placed his rifle on the ground, "O-Okay man, see? I'm doing what you're saying. No need to get anyone else hurt." the man said shakily.

"You said there was only three of them!" the injured man yelled.

"That's what Jeremy told me!" the other shouted.

Skipper got up from the ground, pulled his pistol out of his holster and pointed it at the man's head. The man started breathing heavily. "Oh God, please mister, don't shoot." he pleaded.

Skipper didn't take his gun off him. The people around him started getting worried. "Skipper." Kowalski called to his leader.

No response. The flat-headed penguin kept his aim. His pupils widened.

"Skipper?" Marlene called.

Skipper turned to his team. Private stood there horrified. What has his leader turned into?

He turned back to the whimpering man. "Are you with Ringo?" he asked.

No response.

Skipper fired next to the man's head, scaring him half to death. It scared some of the others as well.

"I'm only going to ask this once more. Are you working for Ringo?" Skipper asked again.

"I never though I would ever hear that name again." he replied.

Skipper wasn't sure if he had gotten his answer. The other man continued to groan in pain on the floor. "Get him inside!" Skipper ordered.

Christian and Erik quickly walked towards the injured animal. They lifted him up and with the help of Ryan, they were able to carry him back to one of the houses. The one where Icy was, to be more specific.

"I'll check the perimeter." Negan said, grabbing his bow.

"I'll come with you." Molly said.

"The rest of you can go back to your homes." Skipper suggested as he placed his Glock back in his holster. "I need to have a chat with…"

"Julien. It's Julien." the man answered.

This caught the penguin's and Marlene's attention.

"Alright… Julien. Let's talk. How about you start how you know Ringo?" Skipper asked.

* * *

><p>Inside one of the houses, two wolves stayed behind. Not wanting to be part of what the others were doing. Both were in the living room, which didn't look like it was living up to its name.<p>

There was a large couch on the left side of the front door. A large television set was mounted on the opposite side of the couch. It was perfect. Too bad the place didn't have cable. Though, the cable would have been out by this point in time.

The room was dark. You could barely see anything around you. Kyle opened one of the blinds to see one of the man dead on the ground. The other two were captured.

"They did it. I'm surprised they actually did it." Kyle said, peeking out of the blinds from the house.

"Well, it was you who heard them. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what they would've done to them." Naomi said.

"I was lucky. I was just drifting asleep when I heard them just outside my window. They said they only saw Skipper, Negan, and Charlotte. I don't think they even saw the rest of us." Kyle spoke.

"They must've barely missed us. If we were out there any longer, they would of known there were more of us. They probably would've attacked each house." Naomi said.

"They still would've lost. There was just too many of us. Hell, they still don't even know that there's more. We're not out there, and neither is Icy." Kyle noted.

"I don't blame him. The things that young man saw. Nuka. Just horrible. I'm sure he's not going to be so glad that another animal is dead." Naomi sighed.

"I know. I feel bad for Piper. Just this morning, I had a feeling that she was really disturbed." Kyle turned to his mate.

"You felt that too?" Naomi inquired.

"More than felt it. I saw it. The look she had on her face during the entire day. I think the moment when Madison and Andrea were reunited broke her." Kyle said.

"I feel really bad for her. It must have been terrible to go through that. She lost both sisters in one day." Naomi said.

"Yeah." Kyle sighed.

"What are they doing now?" Naomi inquired.

"They're bringing I one of them. The injured one. I think Icy's doing to have to treat him." Kyle answered. "I think they know something. Otherwise , Skipper would have killed both of them."

Naomi thought for a second. "Kyle?"

The grey wolf turned around. "What?" he inquired.

"Promise me you won't leave this world different." Naomi said.

"What?" Kyle asked, stepping closer to the female wolf.

"This world. It's changing people. They're slaughtering each other out there. Even the government shooting at the people. Remember what Skipper said? About those helicopters?" she asked.

Kyle nodded.

"What if there isn't a cure? What if we're stuck like this for years? Who knows who'll last that long?" Naomi questioned. "I don't want to live in a world where we only know how to survive."

"No matter what happens, no matter what the situation, I will always be the same Kyle. You know me. Hell, you probably know more about me than I do." he chuckled. Naomi couldn't help to laugh too.

"The world can't be like this forever. Think of it like a nightmare. We'll all wake up soon. And when we do, we'll all still be the same. Nightmares don't change who you are. They show the type of person you are. They show your true self. I don't think if it as people changing. It's always been there. It's just showing up when the stakes are high. Now, my true self loves you, and I intend to keep it like that." he smiled at her.

Naomi leaned in for a kiss. "Thank you." she said.

Kyle laid down on the couch, patting the spot next to him, signaling her to lay down with him. She smiled and rested her head on his chest. Kyle wrapped his arm around her, comforting the female wolf.

"I love you, Naomi. That's something that's not going to change." he said, kissing her head. Both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>"I met him a few months ago." Julien spoke.<p>

"Where?" Skipper inquired.

"Prison. It was Visiting Day so I decided to, you know, talk with him. See what's been going on. We were close friends at the time. He changed since prison. When the outbreak started in Atlanta, and the reporters were saying that the local prison was attacked. That's when I got worried." Julien said.

"Worried about what? That he'll find you?" Ray inquired.

"How did you know?" Julien asked.

Screams were heard from one of the houses. It was that man, shouting in agony. The bullet must have done some gradual damage to the guy's leg.

Ray glanced at Skipper. "How?" Skipper inquired.

"Did you forget what kind of animal he is? It only took him a day and a half." Julien said. He turned to the dead man on the floor. "He was one of the first people I met when everything went to shit." Julien said.

"You didn't know him?" Kowalski asked.

"No. But do know that guy you just shot. He's my brother." Julien whimpered.

Kowalski's face looked flushed. He shouldn't have pulled that trigger. Now the guy's somewhere in a house, bleeding to death. The screams were still heard. He must've severed an artery or something. He couldn't even remember where he shot him.

The moment Skipper and the others were in danger, his senses just, kicked in. He felt horrible about shooting a man in the leg, yet he couldn't help feeling glad that he had done so. That was the thought that made him worry about himself.

"You alright, Kowalski?" Skipper inquired.

"Yes sir, I'm fine. I'm- I'm just going to go check on… what's his name?" Kowalski asked.

Ed. His name is Ed." Julien answered sternly.

Skipper grabbed his gun, "Now, now. You don't want to mess this up for yourself." the leader threatened. Kowalski quickly left the scene, leaving Ray and Skipper with Julien.

"You think Ed's getting at his mind?" Ray asked.

_It better_. Julien thought.

"Maybe. We should let him be. Now, what happened after Ringo found you?" Skipper asked.

"Why are asking so many questions about him?" Julien asked.

Skipper stayed focused. "Just answer the damn question."

"You've encountered him, didn't you?" Julien asked.

Skipper pulled out his gun and smashed it across Julien's face. Blood quickly rose and oozed out of the freshly made cut on the lemur's cheekbone. The lemur groaned in pain. His face was slowly slashed with pain from the impact. His face felt warm. He felt his blood running down his cheek.

"I'm going to ask again. If you fail to comply, you're going to end up like your brother." Skipper threatened. "Now, what happened after you met Ringo?" Skipper ordered.

Julien lowered his head, snickering. Skipper raised a brow. His snickering turned to laughter. His laughter turned to a cackle. His mouth open wide, letting out his loud, obnoxious laughter.

Skipper grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" the leader barked.

"Ha! Heh… Ah, you have no idea. We're all going to die." Julien chuckled. Skipper let go of him, this lemur is deranged. Just like the coyote.

"What are we going to do with him?" Ray asked.

"He's coming. And when he comes, you all will be wishing you didn't escape Atlanta." Julien creepily spat.

Before the deranged animal could say another word, the leader stuck Julien with his Glock. The butt of the gun slammed onto the lemur's head, knocking him out. Ray looked at him in disbelief. Skipper turned and walked towards the house where the screaming seemed to have stopped.

The leader stopped in his tracks and turned to the lemur. Ray was staring at him, giving him a look. "Rule one in survival: Don't trust anyone. This includes the newbies." Skipper told him.

"You could have fractured his skull." Ray replied.

Skipper turned back towards the house, "We need to get what ever Julien didn't tell us out of Ed. We need to be out of here in a few. Geek defiantly heard the gunshots. They'll be swarming over here by the morning." Skipper said as he continued walking.

Ray turned to the lemur. His chest was still rising and falling. He didn't kill him. But the other guy, what about him? He shifted his crutches and lowered himself on the floor. He sat there and stared at the dark skies, and thought: _If only that damn helicopter hadn't missed._


	34. Torn Apart: Part Three

Dean circled back towards the small bundle of rocks. There, Emmett was waiting. "Jesus!" he sharply whispered.

"Shh!" Dean shushed him.

The horde of zombies had began lurking towards the source of the napalms exploding in Atlanta. There was hundreds of them. The smell was unbearable. It was coating their lungs with death and plague.

"They're heading towards the city." Emmett whispered.

Dean looked up at the sky. Smoke had blanketed the skies. The stars were faintly visible. The ground was shaking a little while ago. They must've napalmed the highway.

"Did you see Magna?" Dean whispered.

"Not since Warren and Dennis left to check on that vehicle. Who the hell just leaves a truck in the middle of the fucking forest?" Emmett inquired.

Dean ignored the stupid question the badger asked. "So, Kaitlyn was left alone? Weren't you watching her?" the prairie dog asked the badger.

"I thought you were?" Emmett answered.

"Fuck." Dean let out.

The horde stretched for yards. They were all passing both of them. The dead must be really stupid or something. "I think Magna was with her, I don't know. After that zombie nearly grabbed you, everything was a blur. Next thing I know, we were fighting our way through a group of Runners."

"Warren and Dennis were close. We only stopped to check out that truck. Warren and Dennis went to check it out, Magna and Kaitlyn were somewhere, I'm not sure."

Gunshots were heard. Heads turned to the direction they came from. All turned their bodies and headed for the source. Emmett was about to get up but Dean pushed him back down. "We can't. We go out there will be suicide. We're just going to have to wait it out." Dean ordered.

"I hope that wasn't them." Emmett whispered.

"Dennis was the only one who had a gun." Dean sighed.

Emmett began to sniffle. Magna was probably gone. Dean caught his signs of sadness. "Hey, we'll find them, okay? They're fine." Dean comforted the badger.

Emmett nodded. The sounds of the dead were imprinted in their minds. Never to be forgotten. They sat there, waiting for the horde to pass, unknowing if their friends were safe or even alive.

* * *

><p>"AHHHH!" the lemur shrieked in agony.<p>

Icy was digging into Ed's leg, searching for the bullet that penetrated his skin. His flipper was coated in the lemur's blood. He felt every movement of Icy's flipper. The burning sensation was substantially unbearable. They had placed Ed on a wooden table that was supposedly the dinning room.

Blood was drenching the wood. Blood was infecting the air. Iron was entering people's noses. Ryan was holding the lemur's left arm. Raymond held down the right. Tanya held his left leg. Rico was on his right. Erik held a flashlight above Ed's injured leg.

He was squirming frantically, trying to get away. He wanted it to end. He pleaded for them to shoot him in the head. Of course, they did not comply.

"Oh God! AHH!" Ed shrieked.

"Stop moving! If you don't stop, I might tear your muscle!" Icy yelled, still searching for lead.

"He's losing a lot of blood, Icy." Ryan said.

"You don't think I see that?" the puffin snapped. "Fuck! I can't get to it. It's wedged in there. I think Kowalski might of nicked an artery." Icy stated.

"Me and Rico could go and get some supplies." Ryan suggested.

"No, he'll bleed out before you get here. I need to perform surgery." Icy rejected.

"Please, oh God, please just shoot me!" Ed pleaded.

"I think we should just put him out of his misery." Icy suggested.

"What if we cut off the leg?" Christian blurred out.

Heads turned towards the small bird. "What?" Ed asked.

"Are you fucking insane?" Icy spat. "We don't have anything to cut his leg." Icy said.

"I have a machete. We brought it after Fort Benning." Ryan rushed towards his backpack.

"Wait, what? What are you going to do?!" Ed shouted.

"This is fucked." Raymond huffed.

"Have a better idea?" Piper glared.

"We don't have anything to cauterize the wound. He's going to bleed out before we could get another fire stared." Icy insisted.

"What about the stove? We could heat up one of the burners to max, remove it from the stove, and use that to cauterize the wound." Christian stirred.

"How would we even get the hot metal off the stove?" Erik inquired.

"It's an EG, those things slip out." Raymond groaned.

"We'll use the tongs to maneuver the red hot metal over here." Ryan said, taking his machete out of his sheath.

"We can't do this! The shock with kill him!" Icy yelled. "We need to wrap the leg for the bleeding to stop before we could do anything!" the puffin barked.

"We have to try!" Christian fired back.

"Wait, wait, wait, WAIT!" Ed yelled.

Icy wrapped the curtains around the lemur's leg, tightening it. Christian tried to help. "Don't touch him!" he snapped.

"If we don't do anything he'll d-"

Ryan brought down the blade, slicing through the leg. Smashing into the bone. Ed wailed in pure agony. His muscles tore, tendons stretched and snapped. Once the blade hit and stopped at the bone, his skeleton rattled from the impact. The fire ants were burrowing inside his flesh, drilling inside his tendons.

"Private, turn the knob all the way to "max", once we get his leg off, we're going to have to place the burner on his stump to cauterize it! If we do this wrong, the shock could kill him." Icy yelled at the young pengiun.

Ryan lifted the blade, splattering blood in all directions. The burner was glowing red. Piper grabbed the tongs and was ready to remove the red hot metal for use.

The Shepherd brought down the machete again, shattering the bone. Shocks of crippling pain spread through out his body. His body thrashed. The canine lifted the blade again and brought it down once more. This time, it smashed into the table.

"Now!" Icy commanded.

Piper lifted the shearing metal from the stove and quickly rushed towards the lemur. Icy moved the severed leg out of the way. Veins and arteries hung from the appendage. Kelsi shut her eyes closed. Tanya was about to heave.

The female penguin slammed the metal on the open flesh. The sizzling sound of bare skin being scorched echoed in the slightly empty house. The lemur howled in agony. His tissue boiled, sticking on the metal. His skin turned brown then black around the metal. Bubbles of puss and blood formed on the wound.

The lemur passed out from all the pain. Piper pulled back the metal. Skin stretched and snapped from the tissue sticking onto the metal.

Kelsi brought a ball of curtains and sheets to Icy. The puffin pressed the cloth on the lemur's wound, popping some of the puss filled cysts. Streaks of blood ran across Ryan's and Icy's faces.

Ryan looked at his blade, stained in another man's blood. It dried quickly. "Did we do it correctly?" he asked.

"Well, he's not seizing, so that's good." Icy answered.

"Where did you learn this?" Ryan asked.

"I was always a trial and error kind of guy. We just got lucky. He's lucky to be alive." Icy said.

"Is he?" Piper inquired.

"For now." Icy said. "We just wait for him to wake up. If he ever wakes up."

"We're so fucked." Erik groaned.

Kowalski stood at the front door. His beak dropped from what he just witnessed.

* * *

><p>Negan sent the arrow flying, penetrating a Runner's skull. Molly was able to get another Runner down with the knife Negan handed her. The Husky walked up towards the reanimated corpse, retrieving his arrow.<p>

"You're pretty good with that." Molly complimented.

"Thanks. You're pretty good yourself with that knife." Negan replied.

"Smith and Wesson. I know my knives." Molly chuckled.

"Really now?" Negan asked.

"My dad would take me out to fish. He showed me how to gut a fish properly. That's where I got my knowledge from." Molly answered.

"Where are your peeps?" Negan asked.

"I… I don't know. When I got home from school, I found a note on the kitchen table saying that they went to the mall to pick out Halloween decorations. Then… the world went to hell. And I never saw them again." Molly answered.

"Sucks right?" Negan asked.

"Really does. You lost your parents?" Molly asked.

"Ran away. Not really, but, I just never saw eye to eye with mine. After I graduated college, I left my home. I never new why, yet, it feels like I do. Do you know what I mean?" he asked.

"Kind of. When the military started rushing through my neighborhood, I was left behind. One group was just looking through my neighborhood, scavenging. That group was Raymond's. If it wasn't for them, I would be dead." Molly said. "We all kind of tie in with each other, don't we?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. It's fucking weird." Negan answered.

"What about you? How did you get out of Atlanta?" Molly inquired.

"…We should get back. A horde must've heard the gunshots. We need to leave for the town. This place isn't safe anymore." Negan said, turning around, heading back towards the houses, but was caught off guard by Molly staring at him blankly. "What?" he asked.

"When are you taking a shower?" she asked.

"Never." he chuckled. "Let's go."

Molly nodded and followed. She gave Negan the blade. The Husky smiled, "Keep it."

She couldn't help but to smile. She kept it close to her. Not letting go of the blade.

* * *

><p>Skipper entered the house. The scent of blood and meat smacked him in the face. Everyone was around the bloodied table. The lemur's chest was rising and falling; a good sign.<p>

"How is he?" Skipper inquired.

"We cut off his leg." Icy answered blankly.

"I was trying to avoid that. How is he really?" the leader stepped closer.

"He hasn't seized from the amputation. I'm surprised he actually made it. Usually they die from the trauma." Icy turned to the leader. "He lost a lot of blood though, he's going to need a transfusion."

"How the hell are we going to do that? We already cut off the guy's fucking leg." Raymond inquired.

"A transfusion means that someone needs to donate blood. If we give him the wrong type, his body will go into shut down." Icy said shakily.

"You okay?" Skipper asked.

"Yeah, I… I just need to sit down." Icy whimpered. "I've seen a life time's worth of blood in a matter of a week." Icy slid down the wall until he finally sat on the carpeted floor.

"How would we proceed?" Raymond inquired.

"We need to go and get medical supplies. I don't even know where to start in the first place. I was taught to sew stitches, not mend an amputated leg." Icy sighed.

"We should of shot him." Kelsi added.

"We should of." Icy said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

"Well, we didn't. He's alive." Ryan snapped.

"And he's going to bleed us dry of our recourses. Do you know how fucked we are? That leg is going to get infected, which will travel through his bloodstream. It was a waste." Icy said, aggravated.

"Then why the hell did we do it? Someone could have gotten a knife and stabbed him in the heart, or the head. But no one did. Everyone did what the hell was necessary. Why?" Ryan questioned, raising his voice.

"I don't know!" Icy barked.

"Because it was the moral thing to do. We tried. We didn't just kill him when he was asking, begging for it. It's so much easier to just give up. We can't let this world bring us to that. If you get sick, or if you get injured, you're just going to quit? Are you just going to pull the trigger?" Ryan glanced at everyone.

Their heads lowered towards the ground. They stayed silent. Erik looked up. "He's right. If Kelsi got hurt or if she just can't take this world anymore, am I just going to let her go? No. Of course not. I would want her to keep going. I don't know what I'd do without her." Erik began to tear up.

"That blood transfusion? We're going to need someone with his blood type." Icy looked up.

"What about his buddy?" Tanya asked.

"You killed him, didn't you?" Piper suspected.

"I didn't. He's just knocked out." Skipper answered.

"Knocked out? Why the hell is he knocked out?" Piper questioned.

"He knows where Ringo is." Skipper answered sternly. Piper's blood boiled.

"How?" Ryan inquired.

"Because he was with him." Skipper answered. "If I could get it out of him, then we could ambush him and his group." Skipper stepped closer to the group.

Erik gave a puzzled look. People looked at each other. Was this morally true? Would killing this man prove anything?

"We're not killers." Tanya said sternly.

"He is." Icy said.

"But he's out there. He doesn't know where we are." Tanya continued.

"We can't forget that he's a coyote. Supposedly Ringo hunted these people down after escaping prison. He mentioned that he left a trail of destruction as they headed for Atlanta. He's a criminal trapped by his own demons. Only death can free him now." Skipper said gravely.

This was their chance. Justice can finally be made on that fucking rapist. But some still didn't know what to think about what Skipper was saying. They couldn't pull this off. They weren't killers.

"He needs to be put down. We end this tonight." the leader roughly said.


	35. Torn Apart: Finale

The horde had finally passed, the sun was barely showing its rays above the horizon. "Thank God, I never thought the damn horde would ever pass." Emmett sighed.

Before Emmett could turn around to face Dean, the prairie dog had already made a run for where the gunshot was heard. The badger shuffled frantically, "Hey! Wait up!" he yelled.

Dean made his way to where the truck was. The smell of rotten flesh still lingered. Droplets of blood had tainted the soil below. That's if the blood could get past the layer of dead leaves.

"Where the hell is the truck?" Dean asked, frantically searching for the vehicle.

"Did they leave us?" Emmett huffed as his legs gave up on him.

The sound of leaves breaking caught their attention. Dean grabbed his axe from his belt. He held it close to him, ready to strike a Geek's skull. Emmett rushed towards the mammal, hiding behind the prairie dog. What ever the sound was, it was coming straight for them.

The figure was black, and was moving fast. As it got closer, the prairie dog sighed in relief, it was the truck. They had made it, thank God.

The truck pulled up next to the mammals. Boxes upon boxes of supplies was piled up in the trunk. The passenger door flew open, nearly hitting Dean. Dennis hopped out and hugged the prairie dog. "Oh, thank God you two made it." he sighed.

"It's good to see that you guys made it." Dean chuckled, returning the hug.

Warren's head popped over the roof of the vehicle. "Where's Kaitlyn?" he asked, worried.

"She's not with you?" Emmett asked.

"No, we thought we was with you!" Warren frantically said.

"What about Magna?" Dean asked.

"She didn't turn up either." Dennis answered.

"Oh God, I lost my daughter. I… lost her in an apocalypse!" Warren cried.

"Easy, we'll find them. They couldn't have gotten far." Dean said, "Everyone in the truck." Dean ordered.

Dennis climbed in the back with Emmett. Dean took the front seat while Warren climbed back in. The lynx started whimpering. "Hey," the mammal started, "we'll find them."

Warren nodded and turned the engine on.

* * *

><p>On the porch of one of the new houses, two penguins were leaning on the wooden railing, enjoying the cool breeze hitting their faces. This cool breeze was the best thing to happen to them since they came down to Georgia.<p>

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kowalski inquired.

"We're cops, we're supposed to bring justice in this world." Skipper answered.

"We're cops. But, we're not executioners." Kowalski replied.

"You know that this is the best thing for us. If we don't do anything about that deranged coyote, he's going to kill more of us." Skipper said.

"Who do you include in "us"?" Kowalski asked.

"All of us. We're all in this together. We all are facing the same problem. Better to figure things out together than to just face it alone." Skipper answered.

"How would we proceed? How would we… end Ringo's reign?" Kowalski inquired.

"Haven't thought about that yet. I just got to the part of capturing Ringo somehow. Maybe the rest will give in." Skipper sighed.

"What if they don't give in? What if we just can't get to Ringo? All it take is one person to mess this up. Then we'll have an all out battle between us and them." Kowalski noted.

"Then we'll do what we have to do. This Ringo character needs to be taken care of. He's only going to kill more people. When we were all huddled in front of that estate, he told us that we were the first wave of his gladiators. I'm sure he wants to keep the entertainment alive. He'll find more people, manipulate them to fight to the death with each other." Skipper answered.

"Is this what we've become? We're plotting the death of a man here. A cop might bring justice, but that justice could cripple him." Kowalski stated.

"We haven't become anything Kowalski, we're just doing the right thing."

"Are we?"

Skipper sighed. The sound of footsteps approaching caught their attention. They both reached for their guns.

They figure's face was recognized, "Icy, what are you doing here?" Kowalski asked.

The puffin's face looked grim. "Ed's dead."

* * *

><p>The truck was forced to drive on the road after the tree density became too much. They drove slow, everyone looking out the rolled down windows, scanning the area in sight of the girls.<p>

"Where the hell are they?" Dennis inquired.

"We're just about to reach an estate. We could check there." Dean spoke.

"Are you sure?" Warren asked.

"If they were caught up with the horde, that's the place they defiantly would go to." Dean answered.

"Let's hope it's not infested with Geek." Emmett said.

"Don't say that." Warren exclaimed.

"Sorry.." Emmett apologized.

"There! Up ahead. It's a little tricky to get in, there's no road connecting it. The guy who built this place did a really weird job at it." Dean said.

Warren spun the wheel, pulling up to the estate. When they reached the perimeter, the foul stench of rotten flesh made its way inside the vehicle.

"Argh, what the hell is that smell?" Emmett complained.

"It's probably the dead ones. Maybe they did follow them over here." Dean answered.

The truck pulled up to what looked like a war zone. Bodies were scattered all over the place. Carcasses coated with bullet holes plagued the soil. Dried blood stained the ground. Bullet shells were everywhere.

The front of the estate was scorched. The whole front of it was missing, like if it were bombed by something. The vehicle came to a halt. The reflection of the charred building was on the surface of the windshield. Amongst the bodies, laid a few felines, one of them was a lynx.

"It's not her. It's not her…" Warren repeated the sentence to himself.

"It's not. C'mon, we need to check this place thoroughly." Dean said, hopping out of the vehicle.

The prairie dog stepped closer to the dead lynx. When he got close to it, the feline turned around and hissed at him, stretching its arm out. The feline was male. He had turned. He had bite marks all over him. His legs were torn apart, leaving him crippled.

"It's not her." Dean shouted, driving his axe on the man's head, killing it instantly.

"Oh thank God." Warren sighed.

"What the hell happened to this place?" Emmett inquired, horrified by the scene.

"Well, one of them over there is wearing a prison jump suit, maybe they're the escapees. They were cooped up here, waiting out the plague, I guess. A horde must've plowed them head first." Dean answered, searching the place for any signs of actual life.

"I'll check what I think is the lobby." Dennis said.

"You have a weapon?" Dean asked.

"I've got my gun."

"Don't fire it. We don't want another horde rushing over here." Dean ordered.

"You got it." the ferret replied, climbing past the rubble.

It seemed like the entire front of the building just collapsed or caved in on itself. Probably when it was on fire. Piles of concrete laid scattered on the ground. Metal bars stuck out from some one the masses of concrete. Those were probably hold the building up.

Emmett took a closer look at one of the bodies. It had bullet holes along with bite marks. A bullet penetrated his skull so that he wouldn't turn because of the bites. "Hey! This one has bullet holes!"

"They all do." Warren said.

"They were attacked by someone. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually turned on each other. That's when the horde rammed through. The gunshots." Dean said.

"How the hell do you know all this?" Emmett asked.

"Forensic science. I used to be a homicide investigator." Dean answered.

"Jesus, really?" Emmett questioned.

"Yep, I saw all kinds of things. This was pretty easy, though. The prison jump suit gave it away, pretty much." Dean chuckled.

Dennis came back from what used to be a lobby. Dean gave him a look. The ferret shook his head. Warren walked back to the truck. Tears were already starting to form in his eyes.

"Warren, wait." Emmett followed the lynx.

Dean stayed behind, still examining the bodies. They each had a story to tell. Some were bitten. Some were ripped to shreds by bullets. Others had a mixture of both. Thirteen. That's how many bodies he counted. He turned to his left to return to the vehicle. If it wasn't for his peripheral vision, he would have missed the last one.

Dean walked towards the body. There was a small groaning sound. It laid in a large pool of blood. It was a penguin. Or, used to be a penguin. It had a pink hue. That's because the thing was skinned.

The penguin was tied up to a tree. It's bloody, pink skin had signs of a knife scraping the surface. On the floor next to him, a pile of flesh and feathers were dumped. Flies were buzzing around it. The penguin was skinned alive.

The reanimated carcass was squirming, trying to get to the prairie dog who was shaking. Blood ran down the tree's trunk. The groans turned to full out screeches.

The mammal reached out to grab the note that was nailed on to the penguin's body. It read in blood: "**YOU'RE NEXT, SKIPPER.**"

Who was Skipper? Who the hell did this? Was it the inmates that were here?

"Dean! What are you doing? We're leaving!" Emmett shouted.

The prairie dog trembled in fear, staring at the monstrosity that was before him. It's veins were bulging out of its bare flesh. Muscle tissue was exposed, even missing in some parts. Dean grabbed his axe and hacked at the creature's head, putting it out of its misery.

* * *

><p>The room was dark. The rays of the moon were barely shinning light on the dead planet. Mostly everyone was asleep. Some couldn't sleep because of the lemur. Some people like Icy.<p>

When Skipper and Raymond brought Julien inside a house for him to rest, Icy was the one who volunteered to keep an eye on him. It didn't surprise either of them. They sort of knew why he volunteered. It was made clear that Julien shouldn't know what happened to his brother. At least, not yet.

Icy sat in the hallway, alone. He was up against the wall where Julien was sleeping on the other side. That way, he could hear what he was doing. They took everything out except the bed. That way, the lemur wouldn't make a weapon out of something and slit the throat of anyone who came inside the room.

The sound of footsteps. Alerted the puffin. He reached for his knife, only to see that it was Skipper who was waddling up to him.

"Is he awake?" Skipper asked.

"He's asleep. I could check if you'd like." Icy replied.

"No, that won't be necessary. Mind if I sit with you?" Skipper asked.

The puffin nodded. The leader lowered himself, taking a seat next to the puffin. He sighed. "It's not your fault." Skipper said.

"Never said it was. Like Ryan said, we tried. I'm trying to forget about it before it consumes me." Icy sighed.

"We need to talk to him. We could finish this. We could avoid more deaths." Skipper said. "You know why we're doing this, right?" he asked.

"Of course I do. I'm just wrapping my head around it." Icy answered. The leader nodded. "He wanted us to fight to the death. He wanted us dead. It's better to stop him before he take anymore lives." Icy said.

"Julein said that he had killed people along the path of his escape from the prison. I don't know how many, or who he killed, but think of it like we're doing this for them. We're setting justice for a serial killer." Skipper said.

Icy nodded.

The doorknob to Julien's room turned. Skipper quickly pulled out his Glock, ready to strike if he attacked. Little did he know, Julien was unarmed.

He slowly walked out into the hallway. He turned to the leader. "I'm ready to talk."

* * *

><p><strong>Next time on The Dead:<strong>

"They're preparing for battle…"

* * *

><p><strong>In Memoriam:<strong>

**Jeremy**

**This zombie **

**Molly's first Runner kill**

**Ed**

**Trent (after reanimation)**

* * *

><p>Next episode: What Comes After<p>

See you Feb. 15th!


	36. What Comes After: Part One

**So, episode three, huh? Pretty bad stuff happen happen here.. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Previously on, "The Dead":<strong>

"You see anything, Dean?" a badger inquired.

"Nothing but cars, Emmett. It seems to extend all the way towards Atlanta." Dean answered.

...

"What the hell are they doing?!" Emmett yelled.

"They're exterminating the infected." Dean nervously answered.

...

"I met him a few months ago." Julien spoke.

"Where?" Skipper inquired.

"Prison."

...

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" the leader barked.

"Ha! Heh… Ah, you have no idea. We're all going to die." Julien chuckled.

...

"We cut off his leg." Icy answered blankly.

"I was trying to avoid that. How is he really?" the leader stepped closer.

"He hasn't seized from the amputation. I'm surprised he actually made it."

...

"He's a criminal trapped by his own demons. Only death can free him now. He needs to be put down. We end this tonight." the leader roughly said.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

"How long has it been since you saw him?" Skipper asked. A candle lit half his face, the rest was shaded.

Raymond placed the bag of guns on the table. Tanya came in and unzipped the duffle bag, revealing heavy machinery.

"Two to three days." Julien answered.

Tanya pulled out an M16, semi loaded. Ryan had used it when escaping Fort Benning.

"Where?" Skipper inquired.

Molly shut her door behind her, leaving her and Icy in a dark room lit by a small candle. She placed her Beretta on one of the drawers. Icy wore a grim face, disturbed by what they were planning in the house next door.

"We would climb up the trees and eavesdrop. Checking if they would go and hunt us down again. The last time we saw them, they were near a creek. They were heading towards an estate earlier." Julien spoke.

Rico held Private and Charlotte in one room. He had a Smith & Wesson knife in his sheath. He sat on chair next to the door, crossing his arms.

"How many back then?" Skipper asked.

Raymond grabbed all the handguns and laid them on the space left on the table. Brownings, Berettas, and Glocks. The bats behind them came in and sorted them.

"Somewhere in the forties. They're about to thirty now." Julien answered.

Mia grabbed the holsters for the handguns, placing them by which fits which gun. Raymond pulled the cartridge out of an M4, checking for ammunition. Tanya fitted a cartridge into an M1. The male lemur fitted an laser sight to his weapon. He tossed the remaining two to Mia and Tanya.

Skipper grabbed his revolver. He swung the empty chambers in the cylinder. "Who are your main guys?" the leader asked, taking out bullets out from the pouch on his belt.

Negan grabbed a box of ammunition for a revolver. A thought came to him. Andrea tucked Madison in bed. She kissed her sister's forehead.

"About four." Julien answered.

Raymond grabbed a Magnum and handed it to Christian. Piper opened her double barrel shotgun, feeding it the bullets that she'll use to end Ringo. Negan walked out of the room, and headed for where Skipper was.

Skipper fed his revolver the ammo one by one. The leader looked up, "Who?" he asked devilishly.

Mia turned the safety on on her weapon. The gun slid into her holster, making a pleasing and sound, making her feel powerful. She'll give Ringo for what he deserves.

"There's Steele. He's the wolverine in the group. Then there's Greg. He's a killer, Hank's right hand man. Charlie is the group's brains. Then there's Ringo." Julien watched as Skipper placed the bullets in the revolver. Four, he counted.

Both bats holstered their weapons. They turned to each other and hugged. This could be their last night together.

Raymond flung the strap of his rifle over his shoulder. Tanya carried two fully loaded Glocks. Both holstered.

Kowalski stood by the door, watching what was unfolding.

"What are you going to do to them?" Julien asked.

Kyle opened the blinds in his house, checking for any signs of Geek. His pistol in his holster. Naomi was in the master bedroom, she too was checking for Geek.

Negan entered the house. He walked down the hallway, and knocked on the door Skipper and Julien were in. The leader opened the door. Negan gave his the box of ammunition for his revolver.

"We're going to end this." Skipper answered, placing his revolver in his holster.

Julien looked up, his face hidden, hiding his scars. "Good."

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season Two**

**What Comes After**

The living room was lit with candles made from orange peels. If Christian hadn't brought in those bags full of them, they'd be in the dark. The wooden table that laid Ed was clear of his blood. The animals stood around it, discussing their next move.

"They're held up near the creek. If we just follow it, we'll be able to find them." Skipper said, walking into the room filled with people.

"What do we do when we find them?" Christian asked.

"They should be sleeping right now. Julien stated that they were in the proximity of a creek. They got tents, we search around. Anyone of them is up, we take them down with our silenced weapons." Skipper explained.

"We'll go, tent to tent. They'll probably have one or two guys on watch. We take them out. But remember, we have to do this quietly. If we find Ringo in time, we'll round up the rest of them by pointing a gun at his head. They'll have to give in. ." Skipper continued.

"Erik, you and Kelsi will be out in the perimeter, making sure a Runner doesn't mess this up or if a few of the inmates come back from a run or something. You kill anything that get's close to the area. Mia, we'll have you climb up a tree where you'll have full range of the camp. You'll be our sniper." Skipper assigned.

"The rest of you will come with me, we'll search the camp for Ringo." Skipper finished.

"What if they're all awake? Having some sort of barbecue or something?" Raymond asked.

"That's when our lemurs will be up in the trees. We'll throw in a tear gas grenade at the middle of the camp. We'll take them out one by one. Negan, Erik, and Kelsi will take the perimeter, taking out anyone who runs away from the camp. Animal or Geek. The rest of us will go in when their numbers are down. We'll tell them to put down their weapons. That's when we'll take on Ringo." Skipper answered.

"Seems a bit risky." Erik stated.

"Everything's been risky." Piper said.

"I know there are some flaws in both plans. If anyone has a different approach, better explain it now." Skipper ordered.

"Can't we just bomb the place? You know, throw all of our grenades at them? We'll make sure none of them are left and leave before the Runners get there." Christian inquired.

"That's the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard." Raymond said.

"No, an idea is better than nothing. So, we have three plans. Anyone else?" Skipper asked.

"What if we capture two or three of them? They'll have them back when they give us Ringo. We'll promise that we'll never hurt them again. No one has to die." Kowalski interrupted.

"Are you insane?" Erik nearly yelled.

"That would never work. Ringo's a criminal. All he does is to shoot first and to think later." Tanya said.

"We need to keep the element of surprise. They're not expecting us to retaliate." Kelsi said.

"It could go both ways, depending on who we take. Julien told me about three guys in his group who basically eat our the palm of his paw. He won't function without them." Skipper said. "So, four plans. If we see any one of those three people, we'll go with Kowalski's plan. If not, then it's all hands on deck." Skipper slammed his flippers on the table, "I need to know if you want to go through with this. I need to know right now, because when we're out there, there's no going back. We're out there to protect our people. I need to know now." Skipper ordered.

It didn't take long for someone to speak. "It will be difficult, but if we don't do this now, we're going to have Ringo over our shoulders for however time we have left. If this is what it takes to survive and to protect my friends, then count me in." Raymond said sternly.

The bats looked at each other. "We're with Raymond on this one."

"Me and Mia feel the same way, we're with you, Skipper." Tanya gave her word.

"Kyle and I are going to sit this one out. We need the people to defend this place when the Runners come or if we're ambushed by Ringo's men." Naomi's accent showed thought her sentence. Kyle showed a signs of a smile.

Skipper turned to the lone female penguin. She wore a loathing face. "You know my answer." she answered grimly, crossing her flippers.

"Then it's settled then, what ever happens happens." Skipper finished.

"Can we take to time to say goodbye?" Kelsi inquired.

"You won't need it, but..." Skipper let his head drop. "Take the time you need." the leader said, exiting the room.

* * *

><p>Skipper closed the door behind him. He looked back at the house. He could see their shadows on the wall. They were all clustered up, probably a group huddle. He could faintly hear Raymond say: "We'll be okay, we'll get out of this."<p>

The leader shook his head with distress. He was anxious, tired, and suffering. All the things that could kill a penguin his age. He was thirty-five, but with everything's that's happened in just one week, he felt like he aged sixteen years. Has it really been a week? It's felt a lot less than that. Or... does it?

The sound of a metallic object scraping the dirt snapped him out of his conscience. He almost lost his balance when he snapped out of his state. He turned his head towards the noise. He peaked his head over the corner of the house, there, Ryan stood with a shovel. He was digging the graves of the two lemurs.

The leader walked up to the German Shepherd. "We're going out for Ringo, I'm just wondering if you're willing to come with us." Skipper dove right in.

Ryan lifted up his head. He was sweating from completing one of the graves, "Wh- Are you serious?" he asked, out of breath.

Skipper nodded.

"Who else is going?" Ryan asked, continuing to dig."

"Raymond, Tanya, Mia, Erik, and Kelsi." Skipper answered.

Ryan stopped, looking up for a second, but keeping his head down. "What about Negan and Christian? Your boys?" Ryan asked and continued to dig.

"Haven't talked to them yet. As for my team, well, I'm going to see them right now." Skipper answered.

"And what's stopping you?" Ryan asked.

"Your opinion." Skipper answered sternly.

Ryan lifted his head up, "You don't need an army, Skipper. Besides, I'm just here." he threw the pile of dirt over his shoulder, "Digging graves because I'm sure as hell know no one else is going to do it." Ryan added.

Skipper nodded, and waddled off to the building that housed his team. Ryan continued digging.

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?" Icy asked the canine.<p>

"Better. Much better. Me and Negan took out a few Runners. I was pretty terrified, to be honest." Molly answered.

"You don't feel lightheaded or dizzy?" Icy inquired.

"Nah, I'm fine." Molly replied.

"That's good to hear. You were nearly dead when they found you all alone like that." Icy said.

"I'm lucky to be alive. I'm thankful to have met you guys." Molly spoke, "I do miss my family though." she sighed.

"You lost them due to the disease?" Icy asked.

"I don't even know. They were gone when I got home. Me and my mom got into a fight the night before everything. It's weird just thinking about it. We were arguing about my grades. I wasn't the most productive in my class. It's not that I didn't know the lessons, it's just that, the work was… I don't know, different? Boring? I just lost interest in that class." Molly answered.

"I told her that I didn't love her anymore. That's worse than flicking off your mom or telling the f-word to your dad. I didn't mean it though, I was just being a bratty daughter." Molly trailed off. "Then I stormed out of the house."  
>"If only I only knew that would have been the last time I ever saw my family. What I would give to be able to hug my little brother right now…" Molly teared up.<p>

"I'm sorry." Icy solemnly said.

"Now, somehow, I'm here. I know I should be telling myself that I should be thankful for being alive, but, what comes after all this? What are we going to be when this is all over? Skipper was a cop, now he's going out to kill a man. I'm not sure if I should be glad I made it." Molly sniffled.

The puffin wrapped his arm around the teenager. "It's all going to be okay. You have these people, and we have you. That's good enough." he sighed.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Skipper inquired.<p>

"I'm sure. We're going to need the numbers here to fend off the Runners. Can't forget to mention that I've already killed someone today, I don't intend to increase that number." Kowalski answered.

"When are you getting back, Skippah?" Private interrupted.

"Soon, young Private. In the meant time, I'm putting Kowalski in charge. You do what ever it takes to protect this place, got it?" Skipper ordered.'

"What ever it takes? What falls into that category?" Kowalski sighed.

"You know exactly what I mean." Skipper answered.

"So, I kill anyone who steps foot here? Is that what this is?" Kowalski inquired.

"That's not what I mean." Skipper replied sternly.

"Then how did you mean it, then?" Kowalski snapped.

"Stop it. Both of you." Marlene blurred out. "Ever since this thing started, you two haven't been seeing eye to eye on things. You two are friends, you shouldn't be arguing. Especially now. We need each other more than ever." Marlene stepped in between both penguins.

"We all could die at any minute. Don't you get that? We're not safe anymore! This is not like anything we've ever been put through. We've seen people die. People turn into… into those things. We make one mistake and it's over. For all of us." Marlene raised her voice.

"I… I just- damn it!" Skipper clenched his flippers. "I do get it. I know that there's a possibility that we could die! Don't you see why I'm doing this?!" Skipper yelled.

"So you just kill anything that gets in your way?" Kowalski continued.

"If I don't do anything, we'll all die!" Skipper shouted. "Do you think I want to do this? I'm only doing this because I don't want to die. I don't want anyone of you to die. But if we just sit here and stare at the dying fire, we'll all be exterminated!" he spat.

Everyone stayed quite from the leader's outburst. Private was sitting on a bed, tears slowly running down his face. "I don't want to die, Skippah." the young penguin cried.

The leader's heart ached. "I know, Private. I-I'm sorry." the leader stepped forward.

"What about Julien? What if he tries something?" Kowalski inquired.

"He's cuffed and under surveillance. I've got Ray on the job." Skipper answered.

Kowalski nodded. The leader waddled towards the door. "Skipper," Kowaslki called.

The leader turned. "I know that the these past few days haven't been the best in our mutual friendship, but just want to saw that... I'm sorry, and to know that we're with you on this." Kowalski confronted. Skipper nodded and exited the house. He was losing his grip.

* * *

><p>"Are we doing the right thing?" Andrea asked. She stood out in the porch, wrapped in a blanket. The freezing air had lingered.<p>

"We were going to die that night. If it weren't for Skipper's men…" Erik trailed off.

"He needs to be offed. Skipper's right, he's too far gone. Only death can free him." Piper shrugged her shoulders.

Raymond shifted his head checking up on the German Shepherd who was behind the house. Two bodies laid next to the canine. Ryan was using the shovel he found near the unfinished houses next door.

"We were close today." Raymond spoke.

"Close to what?" Tanya inquired.

"Losing our Animalty. When Ed was injured, and Icy ran out of ideas, we were about to end his life. We almost gave up. If it wasn't for Christian, we would have had that man's blood on our hands." Raymond responded.

"We were literally covered in the guy's blood, was that not enough for that saying?" Piper scoffed.

"We didn't give up, but he died later on." Kelsi said. "And more painfully too."

"I… I just don't know what to think anymore. What comes after this? Are we sure we're not too far gone either?" Raymond questioned.

"Please don't start giving a lecture on psychology, you'll give me a headache." Piper groaned.

Skipper walked out of the house, meeting the group. All of them were armed. Raymond handed Skipper a rifle which the leader accepted. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>That's part one for ya. See you for part two.<strong>


	37. What Comes After: Part Two

"What do we have packed?" Skipper asked.

"We have nine water bottles, seven granola bars, and two protein bars." Christian searched through the backpack he brought.

"Good. It's going to take us quite a while for us to get to the creek. We might have to make some stops along the way." Skipper replied. "Be vigilant. We're not the only ones out here." the leader ordered.

"We'll be there by dawn. That's if we don't run into trouble." Negan whispered.

"Where to first, again?" Erik inquired.

"We're heading back to the estate. Negan will pick up they're trail. If that's where they're held up, then so be it." Skipper answered.

"Do you trust us?" Raymond inquired.

"I gave you all guns, didn't I?" the leader smirked.

"Yeah, I guess." Raymond sighed.

"We'll keep walking for a few more miles. Then we'll take a break." Skipper confirmed.

* * *

><p>The truck zipped down the road, picking up the dead leaves that coated the asphalt. The small group of males stood on edge. They've been searching for about two hours. There hasn't been any signs of either Magna or Kaitlyn.<p>

Warren kept his eyes fixed on the road. Dean sat next to him, peering past the glass to his right. He would occasionally turn to the lynx, seeing if the poor man wasn't looking too well.

Emmett and Dennis sat in the back, both keeping their eyes peeled.

"We'll find them." Dean comforted.

"My little girl. Lost, in the land of the dead." Warren wobbly said.

Dean's eyes lowered towards the ground. Magna was out there as well. Who knows if they even made it?

The road they were driving on merged with a different road. They we driving up to a small building with stone tables. It didn't seem to have any signs of activity.

"Let's make a stop on that shop. We'll pick up a few things, they'll be starving when we find them." Dean ordered.

Warren turned the wheel, pulling up to the side of the small shop. Emmett jumped off the vehicle, landing on the dead leaves. "Damn, winter sure is packing a punch."

"Dennis, stay in the truck, make sure no one tries to sneak up on us or if the girls pass by here." Dean ordered. The ferret nodded.

Warren kept his knife close, as he walked up to the front door. He quickly pushed the door open, taking a step back. He peeked inside, no one was present. The feline slowly walked inside, knife at paw.

"Anything?" Dean whispered.

"Not that I can see." Warren answered.

Dean walked inside, noticing a small table showed Animal interaction. There were small boxes of candy scattered on the floor. Someone must've pushed them off out of spite or something.

Warren walked up to a small refrigerator. A bottle of pineapple soda was left on the floor, the liquid had already soaked into the wooden floor beyond repair. "People were here." Warren spoke.

"Yeah," Dean replied. He looked around the shop. He ventured off into the left side, aisles of potato chip conquered the left corner of the store. There was a bag of oyster flavored chips on the floor. Some of the chips were scattered on the floor. "It's been a couple of days since they left. Suddenly too."

"How could you tell?" Emmett inquired.

"Everything's still here. Whoever these people were, they left for a reason." Dean stated.

"Horde?" Warren inquired.

"I didn't see any blood around the proximity. Something drove them out." Dean speculated.

"Maybe we should go find them? The more people we have, the more ground we cover in search of the girls." Emmett suggested.

"We don't know if these people are good or bad. We're fine the way we are at the moment. No need chasing other people's shadows." the prairie dog scoffed.

Footsteps rushed towards the front of the shop. Dean grabbed his handgun from this holster, aiming it at the entrance. Dennis appeared at the front door. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to wait-"

"Warren, it's Kaitlyn. She's back." the ferret wobbly said.

The lynx heart pounded. His legs almost gave up. His muscles almost gave way from the news. He huffed, "Oh God…" Warren ran out the door. Emmett and Dennis followed.

Outside, Magna stood next to the truck. Her chest was coated with blood. She witnessed as the lynx frantically came to a stop at the sight of her state. Tears forming in his eyes. "Is… is she…?" the lynx's heart skipped a beat.

Tears formed in Magna's eyes. Warren stepped closer to the vehicle. "Warren, don't…" Magna cried.

The lynx walked up to the opened door, seeing her daughter covered in her own blood. The crimson liquid soaked the seat. She was laying on her back, her chest was rising and falling.

Her right arm was missing. A cloth replaced where her forearm used to extend. The lynx's heart shattered. She tried lifting her head up, searching for her father. She had been bitten.

"No. NO! NO!" the lynx collapsed. His legs gave way. His heart sank. He covered his face in his paws, weeping. "No.-huff-NO!" he cried out.

Dean slowly waked up to Magna, who had her arms open. Tears ran down her face. Blood stained her head, chest and arms. She started hyperventilating. Dean gave her an embrace, smearing Kaitlyn's blood onto his fur.

He stared blankly at the truck. Inside laid a dead young girl. Warren was pounding the ground with his fist, crying hysterically. "I tried my best…" Magna managed to say between sobs.

Emmett slowly fell to the street, his paws gripping the sides of his head. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't have lost that girl. Tears formed in his eyes, "Oh God… What the fu…?" he buried his face in between his legs.

Dean stroked Magna's head as the female canine weeped on Dean's chest. He was in total shock. His stomach was in a twist. A young girl, mutilated. They're about to lose one of their own.

* * *

><p>The group was about two to three miles away from their final destination. Skipper's head was pounding ferociously. The Georgian heat was too much for a penguin like him.<p>

The humidity was excruciating. It felt as if his flesh was boiling under his feathers. The deeper they got into the forest, the father away he was from the fresh breeze.

The sound of his panting alerted Raymond. "You wanna take a break?" he asked.

"No, -huff- I got this. Don't worry about me." he shrugged of Raymond's suggestion.

"Dude, you're in Georgian weather. It changes. It's devastating for a penguin like you." Erik said.

"Here, take some water. If we were planning to take a break, we'd better do it now." Christian handed Skipper a bottle of water.

"Thank you." the leader said after taking a sip of the quenching liquid.

"Anybody hungry?" the avian inquired.

"Over here, I've been starving ever since that gore fest. What ever was in my belly a few hours ago is on the ground back at base." Mia answered.

Christian tossed her a granola bar. Skipper pointed his flipper up towards the tree, hinting her to go up. She nodded and ventured up the tree. The other lemurs followed. They needed some eyes on them, making sure no one or something would sneak up on them.

"What was life as a cop?" Christian inquired.

"Why are you asking that?" Skipper asked.

"Kind of though we deserved some sort of normality in the midst of all this. Maybe the memories of the past might help us get through this." Christian said.

"Not for me." Piper spoke sternly.

Skipper's head lowered. "Well, what do you want to know, exactly?"

"I don't know, your routine, any sort of specific crime you'd like to talk about?"

"Hmm. Well, there was this one case that's been haunting me for quite a while." Skipper started.

"Yeah? How so?"

"I was stationed in Denmark at the time. At the time, the Danish Mafia would just demolish entire towns. Suck them dry of money and labor. It was bad. I was a rookie when the most disturbing case was thrown at us. A group of young girls had gone missing a few days before. We were still looking into where the hell they were at." the leader explained.

"We got a package sent to us about two or three days into the case. We opened the package, and in the box laid a severed paw. Blood had coated the walls of the container. Turns out, it belonged to one of the twelve girls missing." Skipper coldly said.

"…Damn." Tanya muttered.

"We found the culprit after twenty-eight days and seventy-two special packages. Seventy-two fucking packages, and we still couldn't find the address to where it came from. Twenty-eight days into the case, I received a letter to my home. It read the exact location of the guy's base."

"He told me not to report the letter to the station for they "have eyes everywhere". The man's name was Hans. I was able to find his hideout. We talked for a while. He told me that there were dark secrets hidden within the nation, to which I rejected. That's when he told me to leave the country while I still had the chance. I denied everything, and stayed." the leader spoke. The more he talked, the hotter his blood boiled.

"So, what happened?" Christian inquired.

Skipper clenched the plastic bottle, "Seven members of my team were slaughtered the next day, the mafia was aiming to have my head on a silver plate by the end of the week, and I… ran. I took the next flight to the States and never looked back. Mainly because the Danish government had me banned from entering their country ever again. The thing is, I didn't really care if the mafia was after me. What really bugged me was that Hans told me something. He told me that I would always be the last man standing. Always the one to see everyone go in front of me. I didn't listen. The next day, my team gets killed off." Skipper stared blankly at the ground.

"I was stupid. So caught pup in my job at keeping peace, I didn't know that the one person an entire nation's been looking for for years was sitting right in front of me." Skipper said, aggravated.

"What would you do if you met him now?" Christian asked.

"I would put a bullet in between his eyes." Skipper answered coldly.

Everyone stayed silent. "Pretty sure the mafia's still looking for me. They might just pop out out of nowhere at anytime and bathe us in acid." Skipper said.

"W-What?!" Christian panicked.

"I'm only kidding." Skipper chuckled.

"Oh, thank God!" Christian sighed.

A small branch fell onto the group. Skipper looked up at the tree. Mia made a hand gesture meaning that some one or something was closing in on them.

Skipper pulled out his revolver. Piper quickly scrambled to get her shotgun out. Negan aimed his bow towards the direction Mia was pointing to.

A man stepped forwards, armed, and pointed his pistol towards Skipper. Many more followed. Three of them came into close proximity of the group. All armed, including a young boy.

"We don't want to hurt you. We just want to make an exchange. You don't like it, we'll shoot you." the man threatened.

"Put your weapons on the floor. And no one gets hurt." the other girl ordered.

Skipper turned to his group. "Okay, we'll do what you say." the leader said, lowering his weapon. The others did as well.

"Where's the rest of you? I know that there were more of you." the man inquired.

Red dots appeared on his head. The other two had red dots aimed at them as well. The young boy freaked out. "Da-DAD!" he yelled.

The man looked at his son then back at Skipper, never lowering his weapon.

"They're close." Skipper mocked. "You put your weapons down, and we won't hurt you." the leader stepped closer to the man.

He kept his pistol aimed at Skipper. The red dot was still aimed at his head. "NO!" a woman screamed from a distance. She rushed towards the young boy.

"Marisol, get out of here." the man ordered.

"Mom!" he yelled. He didn't move in fear that the trigger might end his life.

"Please don't kill my boy! He doesn't deserve this! Marco, stop this now!" she pleaded.

"Marisol, get back with the others! Now!" the man ordered.

Skipper turned to the young boy. This was a family. "She your mother?" he asked. The boy shakily nodded, tears running down his face.

"Don't get him into this." the man commanded.

Skipper pointed his revolver at the man's head. "You better listen to your wife. Unless you want your entire family to be put down." Skipper threatened.

* * *

><p><strong>Have to end it there. Oooh, the stuff they get into..<strong>


	38. What Comes After: Part Three

The man lowered his weapon. As did the others. Skipper placed his revolver back in his holster. The red dots dissipated. "Good. Where are you people from?" Skipper asked the family.

The man was hesitant at first. "Macon. We come from Macon." he answered.

"You people have any supplies with you?" the leader asked.

"What you see is all that we have." Marco sighed.

"You have these weapons yet you don't have any food with you?" Skipper questioned.

"Please don't rob us." the woman pleaded. Her Spanish accent shined through.

"Christian? Why don't you bring that bag over here?" Skipper commanded. Christian steadily walked up to the leader, handing him the small bag of supplies.

Skipper reached inside, grabbing a few water bottles. "Here, take this." Skipper offered the man.

Marco glanced at him, he wasn't sure what to think of this. A few minutes ago, they were pointing guns at each other, now this man is handing water to them? He reached for the plastic bottles, "Thank you." Marco thanked.

"You're welcome, consider yourselves lucky we aren't like the other groups you have to worry about." Skipper could almost feel some eyes piercing him from behind.

"You people are the closest thing we've encountered that resemble people. The rest were… savages. Only thinking of killing and raiding refugee camps." Marco sighed.

"Refugee camps? People are raiding the camps?" Skipper inquired.

"I'm afraid so. We were part of a camp until it collapsed." Marco answered.

"You're welcome to stay with us. We have a base a few miles from here." Skipper suggested. His gut wasn't acting up, that had to mean something.

"You people are generous, but we have to deny your offer. We have people we're looking for. We were part of a group, we got separated when the people attacked our camp." Marco said. "We need to find them." he added.

"Are you sure?" Skipper asked again.

"I'm sure of it." Marco said glancing at his family.

"Well then, I wish you good luck on finding your group." Skipper patted Marco's shoulder.

Marco nodded, "Let's go." he ordered. The two groups grabbed their belongings and parted ways. Marco looked back at Skipper's group. The leader turned. He raised his flipper and saluted him. He did want this man to find his group.

* * *

><p>Ryan drove the shovel deep into the ground, kicking up dirt. He lifted the tool, taking dirt with him. He was about done with his last grave. He climbed back up, out of the claustrophobic space. Roots of the plants above breached the dirt walls.<p>

The grave wasn't perfect, but it was something. He just couldn't let these people get dropped off at some place in the forest. He just couldn't let go of his morality.

He sighed as he reached the top. He laid on his back on the soft soil. The stars were actually visible. Unlike New Jersey where a few stars come out at night, the sky here was scattered with the bright spheres of fire and energy.

He slowly shut his eyes for a second before hearing the sound of crutches approaching.

"Having fun there?" Ray inquired.

"Did you ever notice that there are way to many people named with the letter 'R'?" Ryan asked, still keeping his eyes closed.

"It has crossed my mind. Not to mention that there are two people who's names start with 'Ray'." Ray added. "What are you digging for?" he asked.

"Are you really asking me this question?" the canine inquired.

"These people tried to kill Skipper and Charlotte. We don't owe them this." Ray stated.

"So, we just lose our sense of direction like that, huh?" Ryan scoffed.

"These were bad people." Ray said.

"That's how you thought Julien was, now look how he turned up to be." Ryan defended.

"We don't even know if he's telling the truth. That's why Skipper didn't let him go with him, in case he tried to pull something off." Ray explained.

"Not unless we give him a chance. As soon as we don't give people a chance, that's the moment we lose ourselves. That's when we lose, and us trying to survive through this is nothing but a waste of time." Ryan snapped.

"We can't be to-" the lemur's lungs ignited. His lungs felt like they were burning. He violently coughed. The arteries on his neck were visible from straining himself. The sudden burst of hacking stopped.

Ryan opened his eyes and reached out towards the lemur. Ray stopped him, trying to catch his breath. "Are you alright?" Ryan asked.

"I'm-I'm fine. I just need some water." Ray answered as hopped away, leaving Ryan concerned. What the hell was that all about?

* * *

><p>Kowalski sat beside the dying embers of the fire. He held his weapon on his lap. He stared deep into the remains of the fire. The sound of footsteps caught his attention. He looked up to see Andrea walking towards him. He sighed in relief.<p>

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"Someone has to keep watch." Kowalski answered.

"Your friend will be back." Andrea spoke.

"I know he is. I'm just preparing myself for the worse. There are a thousand possibilities that they may not come back from this. There's just too many things that come into play when it comes to this." Kowalski sighed. "If Skipper ever heard me talking like this, I know he would of slapped me into oblivion." he chuckled.

Andrea smiled. "He's a good man. I can tell. Madison kept telling me that she felt safe around him. Like if things were to go as he intended."

"Hmm. How old is Madison?" Kowalski asked.

"She's seven. Though, she may not act her age. She's just… so full of energy. She hasn't even mentioned Nuka. I'm a little worried about that. Icy told me that she wouldn't speak or move when Ringo butchered that poor girl. Though, I'm kind of glad she hasn't mentioned her. It tells me that she hasn't changed. She's still the same curious bundle of joy." Andrea forced a smiled. She was still worried for her sister.

"I think she's trying to keep those memories away. Very few kids do have the tendency to do that. Most would just keep questioning and thinking about it." Kowalski said.

"Guess I'm kind of lucky to have a sister like that. I think she knows what's going on. That there's dead people walking among us. I'm just praying it doesn't come crashing down on her in the future." Andrea crossed her arms. "You're not cold?" she asked.

"I'm a penguin. This winter breeze doesn't have an effect on me." the scientist smiled.

"I'm going to go ahead and grab a blanket. I hope the blood washed off them." Andrea trotted back to her temporary house.

* * *

><p>The black truck was parked near a creek. They had ran out of fuel. The group had to make camp here. They laid out their supplies out on the ground. A few tents were put up.<p>

Warren and his daughter were in one tent. He had her lay on a blanket. Her blood stained his t-shirt. She passed out about fifty-six minutes ago. The group wasn't sure she was going to ever wake up. But Warren kept denying everything.

They had unloaded the trunk. Boxes were scattered across the camp. Dean opened one, inside it laid clothing. Jackets, sweaters, and a few pairs of gloves. Emmett opened one box, inside it: jeans, pants and shorts. Who ever these people were, they must have been packing for a vacation across the globe.

Dennis opened his. The box was filled to the brim with manga and graphic novels. The ferret was stunned by this. Who in the hell would pack this junk as an necessity?

"Guy's, come check this out. These people packed all kinds of comic books and other weird things." Dennis announced.

"It's called manga. They're actually pretty rad. Don't know why they would pack that instead of some actual food." Magna said, aggravated by the fact that not a single food item was discovered.

"Damn, whoever these people are, they knew their shit." Emmett said in awe.

"Keep searching, there has to be something of value in here somewhere." Dean ordered, prying open another box of supplies.

"These people pack manga, but no medical supplies? It's no doubt that they didn't make it." Emmett said, flipping through the pages of a graphic novel he picked up from the container.

The prairie was able to pry the wooden box open, reveling a large fishing net and a few rods. He took a closer look and saw that there was a lunchbox inside. That must contain bait. "Well, we could fish for our food." Dean spoke.

"Fish? Does anyone even know how to fish these days?" Emmett inquired.

"I do." Warren spoke. "I would take Kaitlyn out to this creek for the summer. Winter's coming. The fish population probably traveled down stream by now. Not much, but we could try." the lynx wore a depressing face. His face almost seemed like it was melting.

"Well, that's great!" Dennis exclaimed.

"You and me?" Dean asked the lynx. Warren nodded. "Maybe even Emmett. Show him a thing or two about reality other than staring at cyber space." Dean smirked.

"Hey, my phone died a long time ago. Besides, there wasn't any network coverage." Emmett defended.

"Grab a fishing rod, you're coming with us." Dean ordered, reaching inside the box.

The badger glanced at Dennis. "Hey, don't look at me. He's not telling me." the ferret backed away.

"Really man? You wouldn't help a brother out?" Emmett begged.

"Sorry, but I have some… yeah…" Dennis said, slowly raising the graphic novel over his face.

Dean smiled at this. "C'mon, don't be such a cry baby." the prairie dog said, holding out a fishing rod.

"Fine." the badger said in dismay.

"Alright, Magna, you keep an eye on Kaitlyn. Dennis, you're on perimeter check, got it?" Dean instructed.

"Yes Sir." Dennis mocked.

Dean smiled. "We'll be back in a bit." he told Magna.

"I know." she smiled back.

The men filed out, leaving Dennis and Magna alone. "So, how are you doing?" Magna asked.

"Why, I'm just peachy. How about you, madam?" Dennis inquired.

"Since when did we turn British?" Magna snickered.

"I have no fucking clue." Dennis chuckled. "You know, me and Emmett have been playing this game on which we tried to guess what breed you are. I'm just going to plain out tell you my guesses." he added.

"The fact of knowing that you two think of me as a game saddens me." Magan placed her paw on her chest.

"You wanna hear?" Dennis inquired.

"Go ahead." Magna rolled her eyes playfully. "You only have one shot." she added.

"Damn, really? Way to add gravity to the suspense. Hmm… Shiba Inu-Husky mix?" Dennis inquired.

"Not even close." Magna scoffed.

"Well shit." Dennis sighed.

"I'm a Finnish Lapphund." Magna smiled.

"Finnish? Really?" Dennis inquired. Magna nodded. "Well, I was close." he added.

"I'm going to check up on Kat. I'll be right back." Magna said walking towards the lynx's tent.

"Alright. I'll be here. I'll holler if I see something." Dennis informed.

The canine walked inside the orange tent. There laid a mutilated young woman. Warren wrapped his shirt on what ever was left of her arm. When Magna stepped closer, she noticed that the blood had a dark tint to it. The female canine felt pity for the girl. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." she apologized.

"Don't. You couldn't have done anything." Kaitlyn wheezed.

"Don't be silly. You're hurt because of me." Magna hesitated from using a fatal word.

"I know I'm going to die." Kat weakly spoke.

"Don't say that." Magna sat next to the girl. She couldn't take her eyes off of her injury.

"The pain… is too much. It hurts to breathe. A sharp pain erupts on my sides. My chest is numb and my limbs are on fire. Every move is like breaking my bones over and over again." Kat wheezed.

Magna reached for the short that's wrapped around her wound. She lifted the fabric, revealing her flesh and bone. Pockets of puss surrounded the arm. She gagged. She noticed a giant white bubble hidden under a layer of her muscle. It was too large to be a cyst. It wasn't a bone. It looked more like a tumor.

"Did you have tumors before all this?" Magna questioned.

"No. Why? Do I have them?" Kat weakly asked.

"No. You're fine. You're going to be fine." Magna had a crack in her voice.

"Magna, I don't want to turn into those things. I don't..." she trailed off.

"No. You're not going to turn. I won't allow it." Magna said sternly.

"You can't... stop it. It's going to happen if... you don't put me down."

"Wh... No. No! I can't do that. I just..." Magna kept her voice down.

"Please. He'll understand. Tell him.. I wanted this. I can't tell him to do it because he won't..." she trailed off again.

"Kat...?" Magna called. The lynx didn't answer. Her chest was rising and falling. She was about to leave this planet. But, she'll come back. Only, she won't be herself. Magna shuffled around the tent. She panicked. She didn't know what to do.

She glances at her belt. In her sheath, the knife she used to mutilate this little girl she doesn't even know. She slowly took it off her belt. She slipped the knife out of the sheath. She hovered it over the girl's head. She cried. Her muscles tensed. She looked away and closed her eyes as she drove the knife deep into her skull.


	39. What Comes After: Finale

"Got a bite?" Dean inquired.

The group of three sat in front of the icy creek. The ripples magnified the amount of stars in the night sky. The sound of the creek's water flowing was therapeutic. They really needed this. But, Warren's mind was still foggy.

"Not even a nibble." Warren sighed.

"How are ya holding up over there?" Dean called to the badger.

"Um… I'm not sure I did this right." Emmett answered. His fishing line was loose and in knots.

"Yeeah, you doing fine." Dean said sarcastically.

"I would take Kaitlyn here a few times. It's pretty unusual to be yards away from her, not fishing together." Warren spoke, peering off into the distant waters.

"Really now?" Dean inquired.

"Every summer, we'd go camping together. Every year as she got older, the more she complained. Always wanting to spend time staring at cyber space, hanging out with friends, it was always the same. But, every time she would come around. She getting in that boat one way or another." he chuckled.

Dean smiled at this. His smile slowly turned pitiful. "We should check on the nets." Warren suggested before getting up.

* * *

><p>The group continued to venture towards their destination. They were still disturbed by their encounter earlier. They took Ryan's machete with them in order to clear a path from all the vegetation.<p>

Vines swallowed everything. Trees were covered with them. Some vines were attached to multiple trees, almost creating nets.

A hiss was heard on their right. Negan quickly grabbed his knife from his belt and ran up to the noise. It's head poked out of one of the vines and branches. He drove the blade deep into the zombie's head.

Skipper looked back, the canine retrieved his blade and slipped it back into his sheath. He turned his eyes towards Piper.

He faced forward, "Speak your mind." Skipper ordered.

The penguin looked up. "You think that was a good idea? Helping those people?" Piper asked.

"We're all in this together. What if you we in their position?" Skipper questioned.

"I wouldn't know because they're gone." Piper gravely answered.

"We're not like Ringo. We don't trap people and take all their things. We have to depend on people in order to survive. It was like that back then, it's still like it now. Now more than ever, actually." Skipper informed.

"Maybe." Piper sighed.

"Psst. Up ahead." Raymond alerted.

Ahead of them, the small estate. Bodies were still scattered all over the place. No signs of tents or life, but they still have to be vigilant. Ringo could be expecting them and had formed a trap or something.

"Mia." Skipper called.

"I'm on it." she climbed up a tree.

"Negan, Erik, perimeter." Skipper ordered.

The canine pulled an arrow out of his bag, "C'mon." he said. The fruit bat followed.

"What about us?" Kelsi inquired.

"We'll wait for their signal. Once we get a go, we'll head inside." Skipper answered. He inspected the building. The light reflecting off of the moon made it seem as if the entire front of the building was gone.

* * *

><p>"Found a blanket that wasn't covered in blood?" Kowalski inquired.<p>

"Just the one. Those things are starting to rot. We'll have to clean them later. That's if we plan to go out to the creek. We don't have nearly enough water to do laundry." Andrea sat down next to the penguin.

"If we get to the creek." Kowalski sighed, turning around, glancing at the distant trees.

Andrea stared at his back. A ling line of feathers were missing. It looked as if he had been whipped. "They won't be growing back, aren't they?" she asked.

"What? My feathers? No. They won't be. Unless I'm able to design a solution that helps make the feathers form and grow to their fullest extent, then maybe. But, sadly, my lab was destroyed by a fire back in New York. Almost had a mental breakdown." Kowalski shivered.

"You're a scientist, right?" Andrea inquired.

"Retired. I gave it up to help Skipper in the forensics department. I never really left it. Just my lab, I guess." Kowalski chuckled.

"Did you ever study diseases?"

"I have my knowledge on pathogenic organisms." Kowalski smiled.

"So, do you think we would be able to find a cure for this thing?" the canine challenged the strategist.

"Let me tell you this. The speed this thing has is completely out of science fiction. A virus that resurrects the dead?" Kowalski shook his head. "Impossible. Yet, here they are. A cure would take decades. Besides, you can't cure something that's already dead." Kowalski raised a brow.

His voice sent chills up the canine's spine. "We're just going to have to pull through this. Wait for the decomposing bodies decompose. Then, whatever's left gets to rebuild. We'll be isolated for a couple years. It'll take hundreds of generations to be able to bounce back from this. The amount of people dead. It's just… ludicrous." Kowalski lowered her head. She was fearful. She worried for her sister. She didn't want anything to happen to her. If anything did happen to her, she would cease to function.

"I'm sorry." Kowalski turned to the canine.

"No, I know. I know that not all of us are going to make it. It's inevitable. I just hope that it ends as quickly as it started." Andrea sighed.

* * *

><p>"Where did you get the bow and arrows from?" Erik asked.<p>

"Atlanta." Negan answered.

"Gee, that really narrows it down." Erik said sarcastically.

"Keep talking like that, it'll only cause you trouble." Negan said, scanning his surroundings.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Erik the rotten stench slapped them across the face. The stench burned their nostrils. Erik quickly covered his nose. "Jesus, what is that smell?" he gagged.

"Probably the smell of a rotten corpse. You do remember where we are, right?" Negan turned to the fruit bat.

"Yes, but still. You could never get used to the fucking smell." Erik coughed as his eyes watered.

"Try being a dog through this. I literally want to heave on everything right now." they stumbled upon a few traces of blood. Negan signaled Erik.

They followed the path, it was leading towards the building. Negan halted Erik. "Gah! What?" the bat asked, aggravated. He slowly turned to where Negan was staring.

There was a tree that had rope wrapped around it. With the help of the smell, one could only guess that a body was strapped on to it.

They crept closer towards the tree trunk, reveling a familiar face. "That's Trent."Negan eyed the dead specimen. "Who could you tell?" he asked.

"'Cause that's his skin on the floor." Erik morbidly answered.

The canine glanced to where Erik was pointing. There, on the soil, laid a large mass of fat and feathers. The duo nearly vomited from the sight. Negan took another look at the corpse. He noticed that his head was split open.

"Ringo skinned him, but he didn't do this." he said, pointing at the fatal wound on the penguin's head.

"What do you mean?" Erik asked.

"It means that someone was here before us. They must've put this guy out of his misery." Negan answered. He glanced at the floor. There was something covered in leaves. He bent down to grab it.

It was a sheet of paper with something written on it. The two looked at each other. "Skipper's gonna wanna see this." Negan said. "Let's go." the canine made a double take on Trent's mutilated body. The poor guy. He didn't deserve this. Nobody does.

* * *

><p>Mia hopped down from the tree. "Nothing. I don't see the bastard within the perimeter."The sound of footsteps caught their attention. It was Erik and Negan walking towards them. Erik had a worried look on his face. That cautioned Skipper. Negan on the other hand, you couldn't really tell if he's pissed or happy. He has these two white ovals on his eyebrows and it make it look like he's angry.<p>

"Anything?" Skipper asked, knowing the answer.

"You're going to want to see this." Negan answered, lifting the sheet of paper in to view."What's that?" Skipper inquired.

"A message from Ringo to you." the canine answered, handing him the paper.

The leader read over the message. "What does it say?" Christian inquired.

Skipper looked up at the canine, "You got a scent on this?" the leader asked.

"Oh yeah. The poxy son of a bitch lead us right to him." Negan raised a brow.

"Alright," Skipper began, tearing up the sheet of paper, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Back at the houses, Private and Charlotte sat next to a bed. "You think they're coming back?" Charlotte asked Private.<p>

"Of course they will. We've sort of been through these situations when we-were cops." Private answered.

"I just hope they get back soon. I'm not sure about the whole Ringo thing. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Charlotte said.

"Tell me about it. I'm trying to think of it like they're some sort of S.W.A.T. team." Private smiled.

"Speaking of it…" Charlotte reached under the bed. "I've been meaning to give this back to you." she held out a pistol.

"You should keep it. You need something to protect yourself." Private insisted.

"If I'm going to protect myself, I'd rather do it with my own weapon. I stole this from the bag of guns back at the trail, when we were looking for the estate." Charlotte said. "It was wrong for me to take it." she added.

"But if you didn't, Christian would have been bitten. We were lucky you pulled the trigger when you did." Private complemented. Though, it felt weird saying that.

"I guess." she shifted his eyes from the duo to the restroom door. Marlene was still in there. Probably centuries. Women. Why do they take up so long in there? He remembered one time when Ms. Perkins…

Rico's head lowered. She was taken along with their house. He turned around, facing the window. There, in the middle of the camp, Kowalski and Andrea were huddled around the new campfire.

He scoffed. Kowalski with a canine? He never would have thought. He had to take a moment to mentally applaud him for something caught his eye. He could have sworn he saw something in the forest.

"Psst." he called to Private.

The young penguin waddled over to the weapons expert. He pointed towards the direction of the trees. There, the light of the fire reflected off of something. And it was moving. "I see it. What could it be?" Private inquired.

It was more than moving, there were multiple of them now. Rico's eyes widened. "Blow out the candles." Private ordered.

Charlotte shuffled over to a dresser and quickly blew out the few candles there. Private walked over to the restroom, pressing his head against the door.

"Hey, it's occupied." Marlene snapped.

"Hush, Marlene. We've got trouble." Private hushed the otter. He could almost hear her gulp at what he said.

Kowalski stood from the ground, and faced the dense forest behind him. Low moans and groans were faintly heard. They were growing and multiplying. He turned to the canine. "Get your things, we're leaving." he sharply whispered.

"What about Skipper and the others?" she panicked.

"We'll find them, now go get your things!" he snapped. "Warn the others." he added, grabbing his Glock.

The canine rushed towards the house that kept the sleeping Madison. Kowalski slowly backed away from the noise. The sound of a door swinging open alerted him. It was the wolves, frantically shuffling their guns in their arms.

"What are you two doing?" Kowalski hissed.

"We hear them behind the houses too. They're coming in all directions." Kyle warned.

Kowalski peered off into the forest, the sounds of the dead grew louder. He faced the couple. "Get Ryan and the machetes. We're going to defend this place. We're not losing this place." the scientist ordered.

* * *

><p>There, dozens of tents laid scattered. The sound of rushing water was heard. Skipper crept close to the campsite, holding his assault rifle. He glanced up at the trees, Mia, Raymond and Tanya were in positions.<p>

He turned to the rest of his group. Negan nodded, arrow ready to launch. He looked up at Mia, nodding his head.

The lemur pried open the canister of smoke and threw it down towards the camp, engulfing it in smoke. Skipper and the rest stormed in. The leader tightened his grip on the weapon.

Skipper lifted the flap of an orange tent, nothing. He looked up, facing Piper. She crawled out of a tent empty handed. Negan shook his head as well. The leader gritted his beak. They weren't here. They just missed them.

* * *

><p><strong>Next time on, "The Dead":<strong>

"She's gone." she sighed.

…

"She was going to turn. I had to stop it." Magna whimpered.

...

"They're not here. Why the hell aren't they here?!" Skipper yelled.

...

"She's dangerous. We can't take her with us." Warren said sternly.

"We don't know that." Dean defended.

...

"Only a couple more. Just let them come to us. Don't leave your position. We mess up, we're dead!" Kowalski barked.

...

"She's dangerous. We can't take her with us." Warren said sternly.

"We don't know that." Dean defended.

* * *

><p>In Memoriam:<p>

Zombies

Kaitlyn

* * *

><p>Next Episode: <strong>Lunacy<strong>

**Update coming March 1st. **


	40. Lunacy: Part One

**100,000+ words. 100+ reviews. I just want to say: Thank you. If my calculations are correct (Kowalski moment), we have 900,000+ words to go. An I going to do something when we get to the middle of this story? Of course. I'm pretty sure it's going to be one of the best and epic things on here. So much action, each chapter is its own episode. The is no mercy for the weak hearted. **

**Of course, I'm just saying this to pump the readers up for the coming future. Speaking of future, there's going to be a tradition every season after this season. Get ready, you're going to hate me for this.**

**Anyways, here's Lunacy. Enjoy, you lunatic.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Prologue<strong>_

Dean and Warren tugged on the ropes, fishing out the fishing net. The net broke the surface tension, reveling to be filled with fresh fish. Flopping around, gasping for water, they were dragged onto the surface.

"Yes! Finally something good!" Emmett cheered.

"We've just got enough to last us through the week." Dean said.

"Not with me, I'm fucking starving." Emmett chuckled.

"Can't wait to show Magna. She'll be fucking amazed by how well we did." Dean smiled.

"Magna?" Warren inquired. The look on Dean's face said it all. "Ah, I see what's going on." the lynx smiled.

"Whatever, let's just get these back to camp. Emmett, instead of yapping over there, why don't you give us a hand?" Dean ordered.

"Sure thing." the badger smiled.

* * *

><p>Dean and Warren both carried the net over to the camp. Emmett was left to carry the fishing rods. Fresh water dripped from the net and onto the dry soil.<p>

"Damn, that's a lot of fucking fish!" Dennis exclaimed.

"Hell yeah, this'll last us a while." Dean replied. "Emmett, why don't you help Warren take this to the trunk?" Dean ordered.

"Sure thing." Emmett ran up to the prairie dog.

He handed the end of the rope to Emmett, looking for Magna. He didn't see her anywhere. "Dennis, you seen Magna?" Dean inquired.

"Yeah, I think she went in to check up in Kat." Dennis answered.

The prairie dog walked up to the brightly colored tent. "Magna? You in there?" he called.

A bloody paw reached out of the flaps. This caught Dean off guard. He reached for his handgun, but was meet with Magna's distraught face. The tears matted her fur. Her eyes were puffy and red.

"She's gone." she sighed. Dean's mouth was agape.

The sound of the net falling was heard. Warren stared at her blankly. Tears were forming in his eyes. He slowly walked up to the tent but saw Magna's bloody paws. The knife was still in her grasp.

His eyes fixed on her puffy face. His face went from completely sadistic to full on furious. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"She was going to turn. I had to stop it." Magna whimpered.

The lynx stepped closer to the canine. "You killed her?" he growled.

"Warren, let's not do anything irrational." Dean noted.

"You mutilate my daughter. Then you slaughter her?" the lynx interrogated.

"Warren, it's not how it loo-"

The lynx tackled her. The dull thud and gasp of breath confirmed that he'd winded her. He pulled back his arm clenching fist. Dean grabbed a hold of his arm and violently threw him off of Magna, who was gasping for air.

Dean climbed over Warren, lifted his fist and brought it down with a force that caused blood to run freely out of the lynx's nose. The first punch slightly disoriented him, the second one came in just a fraction of a second.

Magna tried to pick herself up, but fell back down. Her chest ached. "S-st." she tried to speak.

Warren coughed out blood, but Dean was relentless. He brought down another punch, but Warren instinctively blocked it and countered it with an upper cut to the throat. He watched as the prairie dog stagger and violently cough.

"Stop!" Magna shrieked.

Dean looked up just in time to see Warren kick him down. He fell towards the ground, yelling in rage. He threw kick to the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. A sharp pain quickly erupted from his abdomen.

"STOP!" Magna yelled again.

The sound of a gun clicking was heard. Warren looked up to see Dennis pointing his pistol at him. His head was pounding. The freshly made cuts on his head flowed with blood. His vision blurred and he collapsed to the ground.

Magna crawled towards the prairie dog. Blood mixed with his saliva, slowly flowing from his mouth. He He got into a fetal position, wrapping his arms around his abdomen. He groaned in pain.

"You okay?" Magna asked the injured prairie dog.

He pushed her away. He placed his paws firmly in the ground and pushed himself up. A sharp pain shot up his leg and through his gut. He yelped, stopping for a second. But the longer he stayed motionless, the more brutal the pain was.

He used the last bit of strength he had left. Magna grabbed his arm, helping him up. When he stood, he pulled Magna closer to him. "You come with me." he forced out.

He walked Magna towards a green tent and opened the flap. She looked at him, "You know I had to do it, right?" she asked.

He gave her a glare. His eyes shined as if they were tearing up. "Get in the tent." he ordered.

She ducked her head, crawling inside. Dean closed the flap behind her. He limped towards the lynx. His chest was rising and falling, so he wasn't ducked her head, crawling inside and collapsed on the floor. Her entire body ached. Dean closed the flap behind her. He limped towards the lynx. His chest was rising and falling, so he wasn't dead. He trotted over to Warren. He reached and offered to help him up.

Warren lifted his arm, weakly grabbing a hold on Dean. The lynx spat out blood and slowly walked towards Kat's tent, leaving Dean and the others.

"What the fuck just happened?" Emmett asked, bug-eyed.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season Two**

**Lunacy**

The small treeless area was empty with the exception of tents, boxes and occasional bullet shells. Not a single being was in sight, living or dead. Skipper's blood boiled. "They're not here. Why the hell aren't they here?!" Skipper yelled.

"Maybe we scared them off. I mean, they do hunt people down. They were probably surprised that we were going to retaliate, instead of cowering." Christian guessed.

"No it's not that. Something happened here, that mutt wouldn't just leave caused by cowardice. They wouldn't have left all this stuff behind like this." Skipper looked around. The tents were still up. Fifteen in total.

"Maybe Julien was lying. Made this whole thing up." Raymond alerted.

"Maybe." Skipper grimly replied. "Anyone see anything that we could use?" the leader scanned the area.

"There's are tire tracks at the opposite side of the camp." the canine pointed out, "Though they could be miles away from us. It's best to leave them alone for the time being. Regroup. Head towards the town like we planned." Negan kept suggesting.

The flat-headed penguin closed his beak before he could reply. He had to take a second and think. Skipper nodded. "Alright. Let's grab what we can. Then we can go." the leader ordered.

* * *

><p>Dozens of them swarmed the small base. They were charging at them at all directions. With a week's worth of decaying, they were significantly slower than the ones they had encountered in the cities.<p>

Andrea and her sister sat on the bed, holding tight to each other. The shrieks and groans of the dead consumed them. Madison was shaking as if she was having a seizure.

Molly and Icy held their weapons close in the same house Julien was staying at. Ray, the otters and the penguins sat huddled in the dark, listening to the sounds of reanimated corpses.

The small group of four had their backs on each other. Each looking at a different direction. They stood in the center of the base. Out in the open. They couldn't shoot their way out of this one. They had to depend on the lengthy blades.

"This is usually more effective with more than four people. We each take five steps away from each other, and start slashing at our enemies. Once we all reach out limit of five steps, we regroup. Remember, yell your steps." Kowalski explained.

The Geeks were in view. "One step!" Kyle yelled, hacking at a few in front of him.

"Two steps!" Naomi and Ryan announced, slashing at the skulls of the dead.

"One step!" Kowalski yelled, driving the blade deep within the skull of a bear.

"Three steps!" Kyle yelled, decapitating a deer's head.

"Five steps!" Ryan yelled, driving his machete dead center of a carcass' face.

"Five steps! Regroup!" Kowalski ordered, sending a head flying off.

They reunited, blood stained their fur and feathers. "One step!" Ryan yelled.

"Two steps!" Naomi yelled, sending her blade through the neck of a lemur.

"Four steps!" Kyle yelled, clearing out his area.

"Five steps! REGROUP!" Kowalski commanded. "Only a couple more. Just let them come to us. Don't leave your position. We fuck up, we're **dead**!" Kowalski barked.

Ryan drove the blade downwards, splitting the cranium in two. Blood gushed as the creature collapsed. Naomi slightly missed the head, but instead sliced through the abdomen of the Runner. Its intestines and stomach acid splattered on the floor. She swung once more, successfully decapitating the Runner.

Kowalski swung the blade, sending the top half of the skull flying. The undead carcass stumbled on itself and fell. It's brain flopped on the soil. Kyle thrashed his blade diagonally, slicing the small body of a feline in half. It's entrails all spattered in bloody piles.

The remaining three Runners were quickly killed off by Ryan with one swing. Heads flew one direction and their bodies instantly shut down.

"W-we…" Kowalski tried to catch his breath.

"Was that all of them?" Naomi huffed.

"I… I think so." Kyle panted. Tainted blood plagued the air. They hadn't smelled that scent in a couple of hours. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I pulled a muscle." Naomi answered. Kyle went in for a hug. "Yeah, let's hug after we take a bath." she hesitated.

Their bodies ached. Their muscles were contracting and screaming for a break. The humidity wasn't of much help. The stench of rotting corpses coated their lungs, they could distinctly taste it. "Where'd you learn that?" Kyle asked the strategist.

"Emergency protocol we learned in training for riot purposes. It's illegal to use here, but is mainly used in small towns in Britain. Though, I can confirm that it's effective against our rotting enemies." Kowalski answered, out of breath.

Ryan collapsed to the ground. "Whoo… I'm… I need a five minute break ju… just to catch my…" he panted. He coughed afterwards. He didn't notice how dry his throat was.

A few groans were still heard. Kowalski turned his attention to a head he had decapitated. On the blood stained soil, laid a head snapping at him. It's jaw opened and closed slowly.

He lifted his arm and drove his machete down, ending the severed head's life. He lifted the blade, hearing the disturbing, gushing sound of blood and brain matter detaching from the blade.

* * *

><p>"She's dangerous. We can't take her with us." Warren said sternly.<p>

"We don't know that." Dean defended.

"She mutilated my daughter. Then, had the nerve to kill her." Warren snapped.

"She was bit." Dean growled.

"We don't know how this thing works!" Warren barked.

"Exactly. We don't know how this works. Maybe she stopped the disease from spreading!" Dean continued.

"We won't know for sure, now won't we." Warren barked in rage.

"Keep your voices low. We're not alone out here." Dennis hushed.

"You shut your mouth!" Warren snapped. "She's not coming with us. I won't allow it." Warren angrily lashed out.

"How about we take a vote?" Emmett suggested.

"This is a woman's life we're fucking talking about! Have we all lost our minds?!" Dean barked.

"Just her. If you two are alone with each other, she'll leave you for dead if you're injured. That's something I can promise will happen. Dean, she's not well. This world's got to her." Warren tried to convince the mammal. "I'm not letting her near any of us. Who knows when she'll snap next?!"

"No. She can change. I just..." Dean trailed off.

"You're a homicide cop. You know when murder is present." Warren reminded him.

"Letting her go, out here by herself, is the same thing as murdering her. If we're going to decide on that, we'd might as well put a bullet in between her eyes." Dean declaimed, shaking two fingers in front of his face. Warren gave him a look. "We're not. She's still here." Dean cleared.

"She killed a child. She killed _MY_ child. **_MINE_**!" Warren pounded his chest with his paw. A tear ran down the side of his face. "She was already gone when we met her." Warren hissed.

"No. _We_ were all gone when this started." Dean lowered his head.

"If we're going, we should go now." the badger spoke.

"We already have everything packed. All we need is to take care of her." Warren replied. The lynx grabbed his handgun.

"This is sick." Dean spat.

Warren glared at the prairie dog. "

He glanced at the pistol. Emmett stepped in, "I'll do it." he took the gun.

Dean stared at thin air. He didn't know what to do. His emotions were mixed from frightened to angry to depressed. His body felt like it was going to shut down.

The badger walked towards the tent. Dean turned sharply to watch the badger crawl inside. It only took less than fifteen seconds for him to exit. "Let's go." Warren sighed.

Dennis climbed inside Emmett trotted over while Dean helped himself to the truck's trunk. He stared blankly at the camp. Most of the boxes were still scattered. He slammed on the roof of the truck. Warren stepped on the gas and the small group left the camp behind, leaving Magna behind.


	41. Lunacy: Part Two

The sun was shining on the dead earth now. Its rays peeked through the cracks and openings of the forest. Winter was just around the corner. The wind was picking up. This part of Georgia usually gets snow, so they'll have to migrate south. Or maybe stay put and let the Runners freeze. The weather's got to effect them.

"How much ammo do we have?" Skipper inquired.

"Enough to last us 'till Spring. Summer if we're cautious." Raymond answered.

"Good. Winter's coming. We've got to be prepared for whatever's coming. We've to think, the weather affect them too." Skipper planned.

"What about a cure? Charlotte's father must've had the solution to this. Are we just going to give up on that?" Raymond inquired.

"There's nothing for us in Atlanta." Skipper replied.

"What about the CDC?" Raymond asked.

"Not going tot happen." Skipper simply said. Raymond didn't want to pressure him any longer. The leader might throw a fit or something. He just nodded and stayed quiet.

Thw group ventured closer to their camp. Suddenly, the smell of death invaded their space. Skipper's heart sank. "No..." he said before running off.

"Skipper?" Tanya called. "Skipper, wait!" she called. The group rushed towards their base. The stench was intensifying. Every step they took, the darker the atmosphere felt.

Skipper made it past the tree line, stumbling upon a Runner's corpse. He examine it, its head was split in half. He lifted his head, meeting the dozens of other corpses. The horde must've blown through here when they were gone. "Kowalski!? Rico!?" the leader called.

"Kyle?!" Kelsi called, running towards the houses, passing Skipper.

"Kelsi, wait!" Erik followed.

The strategist peered out from the back of the house. "Skipper?" he squinted.

"The hell happened?" Erik inquired.

"The horde. They finally showed up while you all were gone." Kowalski answered.

"Was anyone hurt? Is everyone okay?" Skipper inquired.

"Affirmative. Everyone's accounted for." by this time Private was running out the door.

"Skippah!" he cried, rushing towards his leader.

He plowed into the leader, nearly knocking him down. "Easy, young soldier." he patted the boy's head.

"It was horrifying. I never thought it would end." Private whimpered.

"Did..." Marlene started.

Skipper glanced at her and the rest of his team. "No." he shook his head. "We didn't find him." he answered. "Where's Julien?" he cringed when speaking his name.

"He's locked away." Icy answered, crossing his flippers.

"Get him out here. Now." Skipper ordered. Icy trotted back inside the house.

"Skipper what are you doing?" Tanya inquired.

Skipper walked up to the lemur who was dragged out by Icy. "I know what you're up to, it won't work." Skipper spat. He grabbed his chest, pulling him closer. "You knew didn't you?" the leader suspected. "Didn't you?!" he barked.

"I don't know what you expected! He was either going to be there or he wasn't!" Julien cried.

"The tents were still up. You have spies on us. That's why they weren't there." Skipper snarled.

"I don't have spies on you, I promise! The only people you saw with me were Jeffery and my brother, Ed!" he looked around. "Where is he?" he questioned.

The leader stayed silent. "Where is he?!" Julien shrieked. The leader pushed him away, nearly knocking him down. "He's dead, isn't he?" Julien cried. "ISN'T HE?!" he wailed.

"I'm sorry." Icy sympathized.

"You... Y-You fucks..." Julien sobbed. "YOU SONSUBITCHES!" he spat, collapsing to the ground.

"If he does have spies, we should be getting the hell out of here." Negan began. "Go for the town, like we planned." he offered again.

"No, he knows about that. We need to get to that safe-zone like we talked about last night." Raymond stated.

"We can't go back to the city. Unless you're fucking suicidal, then that wouldn't sound like a bad idea." Negan argued.

"It's the best chance we got." Raymond said.

"To be torn apart by teeth, maybe." Negan muttered.

"You got a better idea that doesn't involve Julien knowing exactly where the fuck it is?" Raymond stepped closer to the Husky.

"Yeah, and that's the fucking goldmine of a find. The place that I've been nagging about all throughout yesterday." Negan spat.

"We don't know if it's been touched when you two left." Tanya said.

"We won't know until we go. Especially since we barely have any food and water left. You think going in blind into a highly hostile territory without supplies is our best shot? Then you really are a fucking moron." the canine insulted. Raymond gave him a glare. It took everything to hold back on beating the life out of him.

"Skipper," Kowalski called. "We need the supplies." the strategist said.

"We go for the town, then the CDC. We need to find vehicles. If we're lucky, we might find a syphon to siphon the gas. With that, we'll be on our way to the city." Skipper planned. "Now, right now, Ringo's out there, somewhere. We stay alert, and we stay together. No more arguing." Skipper turned to the lemur and the canine.

He turned to the lemur who was swimming in his own pool of tears. "We need to pack our things. Who knows where that lunatic is." Skipper finished. Yards away, the trees rustled and the two beings retreated.

* * *

><p>The four men sat around the small fire. The warmth of the flames didn't feed their cold hunger for guilt. They left a woman alone to fend for herself in this world. Some couldn't believe that they had done nothing to prevent it. It felt like they just froze.<p>

Dean laid on his back, staring into the night sky. The Milky Way galaxy was visible. The light pinks and dark purples seamlessly blended in with the mysterious blacks that was the void. Nothing but space. Out there, a planet was living its own life, while here, they were facing this nightmare.

He never did believe in aliens, but if they did exist, were they watching from above the destruction of civilization and Animality? He tried to keep his mind centered, moving away from the thoughts that made the female canine. But the lynx spoke, bringing him back to reality.

"We left her some supplies. Don't worry." Warren began.

"Yeah, a box full of fucking manga surely will help her." Dean snapped.

"She's going to be fine. She's made it out of Atlanta, she's a survivor." Warren blankly said.

"Then start saying it like you mean it!" Dean barked. The end of a double-barrel shotgun was pressed against his head.

"Woah, woah, woah, easy there, little fella." the wolverine spoke. "Don't let the length scare ya." he chuckled.

Warren quickly reached for his gun, but was met by more weapons pointing at him. "That ain't gonna happen." a man reached for Warren's gun.

"Where the hell is that other chick?" a feline looked around.

"She was bit, remember retard?" a man answered, walking towards the truck.

"No there was another one. Magna. The fuck happened to her?" the feline asked.

The wolverine leaned in, "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?" he asked, not moving the weapon.

"She's dead." Dean answered coldly.

"Well that's a shame. She would have been a fine piece of pussy. I bet Ringo wouldn't mind letting me bust a nut in her." he smiled.

"I wouldn't." a voice spoke.

"You piece of sh-" the stock of the shotgun impacted his skull, knocking him out cold.

* * *

><p>The sound of an engine running was faintly heard. He was conscious. His mind tried to make sense of everything. The engine was running. He tried to remember what happened, but moving his arms wasn't possible.<p>

No matter what he tried, he couldn't move his arms. In his head, he was flailing his arms like a maniac. But in reality, they were barely moving at all. His head throbbed. He shut his eyes when the blunt pain erupted. Then he remembered.

They were attacked. His senses were gathering their strength. He opened his eyes slightly. He was met with the walled the trunk of a truck. His truck. They were moving at such a speed. The wind whipped at him. He rolled over on his back, meeting the voice of a man.

"Easy there, you don't want to hurt yourself. Not yet at least. If I were you, I'd hold on to the 'yet' part. Why? Well because, where we're headed, you're going to go through one hell of a challenge." he spoke.

Dean groaned. He looked around, the other three people in his group were piled in too. "What the...?" he let out. His head ached as if someone had been beating it with a hammer.

"You see, we've been locked away for a long long time. Hell, I had a life sentence, facing death penalty. But, this world saved me. Not as much because I have to meet the faces of the ones who once lived every single day, but, it does make up when I get to see the former shells of the cunts who locked me up. It's pretty therapeutic." he continued.

"But as I was saying, we've been locked up for a while, and we've been missing out on all the good shit that's been going on around the world. Then, miraculously, we were freed. But sadly, we were freed during the fucking apocalypse. Cable doesn't work, there's no Internet, not even the fucking radio's working." the canine sighed.

"Now, it's my job to keep my boys happy and entertained. Buut, since there's no TV, that's going to be a problem. Must of us have spent years locked up. Not being able to witness anything exciting. Just wake up, eat, exercise, shower, if you're lucky, you get to do something with a guy who's interested, then you get shoved back into your cell, and you repeat. That's not exciting at all." the canine explained.

"Once in a while, there's a fight and yes, there is blood. Lot's of it. And that is what I aim for. Give them what they need. Give them that fucking kick. Sex takes up energy and it's not something everyone here is willing to do. I mean, come on, we've spent most of our lives together, we don't want to break that bond we have. Now, only about three of them say otherwise. They're actually willing to do that. That little fucker." the canine growled. He glanced over to Dean.

"Sorry, I got sidetracked. Where was I? Oh yes, the entertainment." he grabbed something. Dean didn't get to see what it was. "There's going to be quite a show happening soon. There's going to be blood. Let's just say that it will be your blood that will be spilling." the coyote placed the piece of cloth over Dean's mouth.

The prairie dog tried to resist, but to no avail, he breathed in the substance, shutting down his muscles and his mind. "But for now, take this time to relax. You'll be needing it soon." Ringo said faintly.

* * *

><p>"Let us go, you fuck!" a voice echoed. Followed by the sound of something coming into contact with something. Hard. He could hear people grunting in the distance. It seemed like they were fighting for something.<p>

A thud was heard, "Shut the fuck up!" a man voice was heard.

Dean opened his eyes. His face was lit up by the raging flames in the distance. He looked around, tents were set up. People were cheering and roaring over something.

He still felt the faint remnants of his headache. He continued to scan the area. He saw the shadows of people. They're arms extended and waving. What the hell were they cheering for. Then the conversation crept into his mind. It was the entertainment.

He was laying on his stomach. Breathing in the dry soil was difficult, but he could admit that a little did get in his nose when he was asleep. A lot, actually. He tried to pick himself up. He tried rolling over on his back, but something prevented him from doing so.

He looked around, he didn't see Dennis or Warren anywhere. He was surrounded by people he didn't recognize, but were in the same situation as him. They were all blindfolded. Then he thought: why wasn't he blindfolded? It was a good thing, he did see someone familiar.

"Emmett?" he whispered.

"Dean? Oh God, where are we?" he flailed. He was sweating profusely from fear.

"Emmett, calm down." Dean tried. He could feel his heart pumping fiercely against the cool ground. Footsteps were heard, they were approaching him.

"I see you've woken up." the coyote spoke.

Dean turned his head, his blood boiled when he caught sight of the coyote. "Fuck you." he spat.

"I'm going to let that one slide. I'm Ringo. And this here is Steele, I'm sure you know him." Ringo introduced the inmate. The coyote crouched next to the prairie dog. "You see, I didn't know you all existed until now. You all had supplies, and you all left tire tracks. You really didn't make it hard tracking you guys down. It's like you were begging us to 'rescue' you all. Did I mention that I'm a fantastic tracker? I'm that type of gu that ties up loose ends even if they're on the other side of the fucking globe. Just a while ago, we found a group that got away from us yesterday. They're held up at some neighborhood of some sort. I'm sure you and their leader have a lot in common. But, I'm not here to show you that. I'm here to show you this." Ringo grabbed a hold of Dean's arm.

"I'm here to show you the bloodbath." he held Dean up on his feet. The prairie dog witnessed as he saw two people hacking at each other with a meat cleaver and a meat hook yards away from him. One had slashes all over his chest. The other had a gash running down his back.

The one with cuts on his chest took a swing with the meat hook and punctured the other man's arm. The man pulled downwards, popping the arm out of place, neutering him from the ability to fight back. The sound of the bone was heard all the way back where they were standing.

He swung the hook again, puncturing the man's abdomen. He pulled back, shredding his abdomen. His entrails poked out of the lethal blow. Blood sprayed and gushed. He popped the stomach, the acids in his stomach flowed and were eating at his flesh and nearly vomited while the others cheered. Ringo turned to him. "Don't worry, you'll have your turn. A few of your friends already have. The coyote brought his foot down on the back of Dean's leg. The mammal fell to his knees, and the coyote wrapped the blindfold around his head. But before he did so, the coyote uttered the words: "See you soon." That's when darkness surrounded him.

* * *

><p><strong>Going to have to end it here. Almost half way through the season. Sorry if things have been a bit slow. I know some of you were hoping for a gun battle last episode. Don't worry. Things will start picking up. And you'll get your gun battle. Next episode maybe? <strong>

**To those of you who might be confused, this is happening while Skipper and the rest of the group are talking about Fort Benning back at the unfinished neighborhood. **


	42. Lunacy: Part Three

The sun was over their heads, beating down on them. The intense heat has to affect the dead too. They're rotting corpses, they should be decomposing at a fast rate. The dark clouds that were rolling in must indicated that it's going to rain soon. Hearing stories from the locals, the rain here is brutal. Instead of a light shower, it's pouring buckets. A flood could accumulate in a matter of minutes. At one point, Kowalski noted the in the current rate of the disease's transmission, it would eventually eradicate itself. That's when thunder boomed. Hopefully they make it to their destination in time before it does start to rain.

Ryan joked that he would love to see a tornado whisking around the country side, picking up the undead and flinging them around just like in that horrid Cify movie. Kowalski, being a party pooper, explained that the reanimated corpses would be ripped to shreds before the spinning vortex would even reach them. Ryan replied by letting out a irritated sigh. That's when the thought of the rain crept back in.

Being stuck in the rain would be a risk. The weather may slow the zombies, but it does affect them as well. If the flood could flush out the enemies, they're not so safe either. But, they have their sense of logic, something that the Geek don't seem to have. Thank God, they had duffle bags.

The group carried what they needed in those things. Their weapons, their food, their water, basically everything they need to survive are in those polyester bags. They left the bloodstained blankets back at the houses. Whoever inhabits them while they're gone might use them. That or burn them over the open fire. That could work too.

It was rather weird that the toilets flushed, but the showers didn't run. Only one stove worked, but the rest of the houses were left without electricity. The people who were constructing those things did a terrible job. One house was furnished while the others weren't? It was completely bizarre. good thing that Negan and Christian brought in those oranges when they did. They severed as candles to keep the darkness away. That was what the menu consisted of last night. The tangy, sour, flavorful taste of fresh oranges with salty chips. Now, everyone's sick of them. If the two animals are right about the place, hopefully they can find actual food instead of eating nothing but citrus and potato chips.

Skipper and Rico were ahead of the other 'nomads'. They might as well be called that, they never really seem to stay put. Julien was still in cuffs. They might of left their police uniforms back at New Jersey, but Skipper kept his belt; which had a nifty pair of handcuffs. Icy was right behind him, flipper laying on the grip of the gun. Ready to be used if Julien ever tried anything. Kowalski could almost feel his eye darting at him. The strategist was sure it was Julien who was growling at him, but it was actually a couple of Runners that were lingering ahead of them.

Negan grabbed an arrow from his bag and launched it at one of the Geeks. It's brain shut down completely while the others were becoming aware of their new prey.

Skipper drove his knife in the Geek's eye socket. The eye burst, sending its juices flying. Rico swung his machete, slicing through it's neck. It's head was sent flying.

"Are we heading the right way?" Skipper inquired.

"Yep. Won't be long now. Just a mile or so left." Christian answered.

"I've never seen them so docile like that." Kelsi spoke.

"They were just lurking. We might as well be calling them Lurkers." Erik added.

"Sounds better than Runners. They don't really run anymore, more like jog. " Kelsi said.

"Anything's better than 'Runners'. Sounds like someone with the _runs_." Negan added, retrieving the bolt from the Geek's skull. Upon grabbing the arrow, he found something unusual.

"They're decomposing. They run when they're freshly turned. That's when they still have a few traces of their active hormones. These people must've turned a little while ago. Maybe even the start." Kowalski noted.

"Hey, science man. What do you make of this?" Negan called to the scientist.

Kolwaski waddled towards the canine who was pointing to the dead carcass. Kowalski took a closer look. Upon inspection, he saw what Negan found. "I think it's-"

"Umm, guys?" Ryan called, staring up at a tree that was up ahead.

Kowalski quickly waddled in the direction Ryan was pointing to. The sound of low growls was heard. Skipper pulled his revolver out of his holster upon hearing the noise. They walked closer to the large tree. It seemed to reach thirty feet in height. There, hung up in the tree's branches, five reanimated corpses snapped their jaws at them.

"боже мой…" Tanya looked away. Raymond held her hand.

"Well that's depressing." Ray sighed.

"Were they bit? They don't seem like they are." Kyle inquired.

"Hey, you're right. I don't think I see any bites on them." Ryan agreed, pulling out a flashlight.

"They must've been scratched. I saw a few people like this back in New Jersey. Except, they weren't hanging. They must've contracted the virus and opted out." Skipper proclaimed.

"Maybe." Ryan shined his flashlight on them. They continued to chomp at them.

Negan took another look at the zombies he was looking over, "Maybe these freaks fell from that tree. Would make sense." Negan added.

"Don't do that." Kelsi said.

Negan turned to the bat, "Do what?" he asked, looking back up at the tree.

"Call them freaks. That's just disrespectful." the mammal shook her head. The canine replied with a scoff.

"I'm going to go observe the bodies. Maybe I can sort this thing out." Kowalski said, waddling towards one of the corpses they put down.

Skipper kept his revolver at hand, scanning the area. They were surrounded by trees. He recognized a few of them, but the rest felt foreign. How he missed his beloved city. He missed the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Upon scanning the area, he found Andrea comforting Madison. The poor girl could be seen shivering with fear from where he stood. Ryan was crouching next to the head of the Geek Rico decapitated. Charlotte was hugging Marlene and Private was sitting on the dead leaves. He waddled up to the young soldier.

"You okay?" he asked, placing his flipper on his shoulder.

"We're not going to give up right?" he whimpered. The leader could see but one emotion in the young boy's eyes. He was petrified.

"No. I promise you that." Skipper comforted.

"Found a scratch! I think..." Erik announced.

"Where?" Kowalski asked.

"Right here, on the paw. See it?" Erik showed the strategist. There, a small cut was visible. Dried blood scabbed over the hairline slash.

"You're right." Kowalski said fascinated.

"Bites and scratches. That's all it takes." Skipper spoke. "Shows how careful we need to be." Skipper said.

Ryan retained a solemn look. The head snapped its jaws at him. That's when he drove his blade deep in the base of the skull. They learned from yesterday that they need to destroy the brain. Cutting the head off doesn't stop these things.

"And destroy the brain. Remember that." Skipper instructed.

"Yeah…" Ryan added.

"Can we leave now? This place is really depressing." Tanya said, crossing her arms.

"You heard the woman. Let's go before our hearts ache over these dead undead beings." Negan said sarcastically.

"Negan..." Piper called.

The canine turned. "Can you... Take care of this?" the female penguin inquired, keeping her head down.

Negan scoffed. "If you want to put these poxy bastards, go ahead and do it yourself." the canine continued to venture towards their destination.

"I don't think bullets are going to help and I'm sure as hell am not going to throw rocks at them." Piper continued.

The canine stopped in his tracks. Skipper surveyed them both. These people might be trouble.

The canine turned around, grabbing an arrow from his bag. He launched it at the first Geek, hitting his target. The next followed. Then the last two. He then looked at the female penguin. "What a way to waste four perfectly good bolts." Negan mocked before leaving.

The group continued to venture towards the town. Piper kept her head down. Skipper wore a stern look on his face the entire time. Ray stayed behind for a little bit longer. He stared blankly at the corpses that hung from the tree.

"Ray, you coming?" Kowalski called.

The lemur shook his head, and began walking towards the penguin. This place gave him the chills. Ray held his paw over his abdomen. It should have worn off by now...

* * *

><p>The camp consisted of tents scattered everywhere. About twenty four in total, counting the ones they found when they got here. The running stream of the creek could faintly be heard. There was a large bonfire in the middle of the camp. The flames towered high. The boxes reflected the bright red and orange hues the flames gave off. The black truck was located about five yards away from the bonfire. Sitting on the left side of the said vehicle, the captured animals.<p>

About five feet away from the bonfire, a long stretch of hard soil was present. The dry, sandy, grassless earth made it ideal to be used as the fighting arena. The blood of the last fight stained the arid soil. The animal was carried off to a disclosed location. His abdomen was ripped apart, and a few chunks of his entrails laid scattered on the dirt. Charlie averted his eyes from the gory mess and shifted his eyes to the green tent. He wasn't sure if she was awake or not.

He was brought back from his train of thought from a pebble smacking him on the back of his head. He turned, rubbing his head. Ready to punch whoever threw the blasted thing. It was Greg. He was sitting on one of the boxes. He was glaring at him, shaking his head. He was probably shouting at him not to keep staring at the tent, or else people would get suspicious. Most notably, Ringo.

"Hey Charlie." Ringo called.

"Huh? Oh, Ringo. What do you need?" Charlie inquired.

"You have the latest on Julien?" Ringo inquired.

"Are you sure we should talk about this so loudly?" Charlie looked around.

"No, he's not here. It's alright. So, do you have what I need?" Ringo asked again.

"Last time Hank reported that he was heading towards Skipper's group. They scurried off when they heard gunshots. They must've had a short dispute." Charlie answered.

"Good, cause I need you and a Greg to go check up on them. I want to know the latest about them before the horde gets to them first. You got that?" Ringo inquired, raising a brow.

"Affirmative. But, do we really have to chase after them? I mean the horde surely will obliterate them. Why linger on this group?" Charlie asked.

"They killed almost half of out men and you're asking me why the fuck I'm 'lingering' on them? Excuse me, but did you lose your mind at one point? They killed thirteen of us. Those men will never get the sense of living. The adrenaline. The smell of a vast new world to conqueror. That's why they need to die. They took that opportunity away from them. They were free men. Men died trying to get them out of that shithole of a prison. Now, those lives were wasted for nothing." Ringo answered.

"But… they have kids. What do we do with them?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, give them to the pedophiles here. I know there's Frank and Martin. We can give them to them. Or feed them to the Lurkers, I don't know. We'll think of something. I don't want bratty little children running around my camp." Ringo spat.

"Um… okay. I guess." Charlie sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ringo inquired.

"I don't know. I've been having these thoughts lately. Thoughts that might get me killed." Charlie answered.

Ringo placed his paw on Charlie's shoulder. "That's why we've got to live, my friend. Try to make up the time we've spent behind bars in this open, care-free world. Now, you have Greg. Be grateful for that. You never know when the world will call for your turn to bite the dust." Ringo encouraged. With that, he left the hedgehog alone.

After the coyote left, Greg could be seen walking up to the hedgehog. "So, what did Ringo want?" Greg inquired.

"He wants us to go check up on Julien. He was last seen with Skipper's group. They heard gunshots, there might be a few of them left. That or they're all dead." Charlie answered.

"You and me? No one else?" Greg inquired.

"Yeah, that's exactly what he said." Charlie answered, a bit irritated.

"Huh, I don't know what to think of that, besides it give us a good time of getting to know each other." Greg winked.

"Yeah, no. Oh and you should go get your eye checked. The blood's soaking through again." Charlie explained.

The beaver dabbed on the bandage that covered his eye. He checked his paw and found small dots of his blood. "Heh… yeah. Let me get this patched up, then we'll go." Greg chuckled.

"Try to hurry up, please. I really want to get back a quick as we can." Charlie pleaded.

"Sure, whatever you say." Greg said before leaving.

* * *

><p>The group ventured out of the forest. They stepped upon the asphalt of the road. Many had butterflies in their stomachs. It's been about a week since they've been isolated. Hidden away in the woods.<p>

As they were half way through the road, they looked up upon the tall trees that divided them from the forest and civilization. They made it past the final layer of trees and were met by the gated community. The front gates were wide open, shining the path to their new home.

The top read '**Welcome**' in huge letters. Skipper took a deep breath. He looked across the land. Nothing but a small concrete jungle. His home. It reminded him a bit of New York. He knew that all this was theirs for the taking.

"Keep your eyes peeled, we don't know if we're actually alone here." Skipper cautioned.

"Yeah, sure." Kelsi blocked out his voice. She stepped forward. She trotted towards the first shop she could find, the small food market. Erik followed.

"Easy, guys." Skipper called.

"To hell with that, I'm getting new clothes. I'm sick and tired of these." Tanya said, running towards a clothing store. Raymond sighed. He hoped that there was a chair in there for him to sit.

He turned to the group. "See you in about twelve hours." the male lemur joked.

"Like toddlers in an amusement park." Skipper shook his head.

He turned to the remaining people. All were scratching their heads and looking at him strangely. "Oh what the hell. Go." Skipper ordered.

Their faces lightened up, as they made their way to the different stores. Skipper shook his head. "You're all insane." he said to himself.

"Oh, lighten up Skipper." Marlene joked.

"Silly, naïve Marlene. You never know when danger's around the corner. Waiting to strike." Skipper said.

"You're paranoid. Just try to enjoy the high hills that surround this place." Marlene said, placing her paw on his back and showing him the vast vegetation that surrounded the town.

"Makes it easier for the enemy to spot us." Skipper placed his flipper under his beak.

"Argh, I give up." Marlene groaned and walked away.

Skipper smiled. Something shiny caught his eye. There was a sign on the gate. He waddled towards the portent, reading the message. It read: **WARNING: FLASH FLOODING. **Skipper took note of the sign. His gut instincts were freaking out,making him sick. Maybe this place wasn't going to work.

* * *

><p>Greg sat inside a large tent. A feline was unwrapping the bandages off of his head. "Have you been feeling a bit of uneasiness?" he inquired.<p>

"Not much. Ever since I lost my tail, I've been sorta tripping over my self. I needed that thing for balance. I've been getting better, though. Not sure if that satisfies your question." Greg answered.

"It does, it shows that you're improving." the feline said, removing the last bit of the bandage. He removed the gauze that was covering his eye, revealing the eye socket. A small piece of the vein was visible inside.

"I can't give you any alcohol to thoroughly clean the wound because the shock could kill you. I'm just going to have to use a cotton swab to clean the inside." the feline added, reaching for one of the cotton swabs he had next to him.

He carefully began rubbing the inside of the beaver's eye socket. The beaver squirmed from the foreign feeling. He could feel the cotton being pressed on something meaty. It felt like having one of those long cotton swabs entering your nasal cavity when you get a check up by the doctor. Only this time, it was his eye socket.

"Easy. I might hit a nerve or something. Try not to move." the feline continued.

"It burns a shit load." Greg complained.

"Imagine how the alcohol will feel. Talk to me about a burning sensation when that happens." the feline said.

The flaps of the tent opened. The crazed coyote walked inside. "You mind if I have a word with Greg?" Ringo asked the doctor.

"I'm kind of busy with him at the moment. Can't it wait?" the feline asked.

"This is urgent, Horace." Ringo smiled.

The feline grabbed a new gauze from the first aid kit. "Place this on your eye. Keep it there until I come back." Horace instructed.

"Sure." Greg said, taking the gauze. The feline left the tent, leaving the two alone. "What is it that you want, Ringo?" Greg inquired, placing the gauze ball on his permanent wound.

Ringo stepped forward. He grabbed a chair that was next to the bed and placed it right in front of Greg. He sat down and glared at the beaver. This made the beaver nervous. "Jesus, Ringo. Ever heard of personal space?" Greg joked.

"I know about Magna." Ringo said gravely.


	43. Lunacy: Finale

The couple moved slowly down a deep slope, careful not to trip over anything. "What did Horace tell you?" Charlie inquired.

"The same. Keep visiting him from time to time. My eye isn't infected, so that's always good." Greg answered.

"That's great to hear. I'm glad we didn't have to do anything drastic. How about the tail?" Charlie inquired.

"Same. I guess I'm a lucky man. I guess I have an amazing immune system." Greg smiled.

"I don't know what I would do without you. I'm always worrying about you." Charlie sighed.

"You worry about me?" Greg asked.

" I Do. You're just so care-free. You don't take shit from anybody. You speak your mind. And that's the thing. There hasn't been a time when you almost got killed when you said what was going through your mind." Charlie chuckled.

"Yeah…" Greg sighed.

"Something wrong?" Charlie inquired.

"There's something I need to tell you..." Greg started. The sound of footsteps stopped him from speaking. "Go!" Greg sharply whispered.

They quickly ran from the scene. They took cover behind a few thick bushes. They witnessed as a Red Husky and a female Golden Retriever walking across them.

"Something wrong?" the Golden Retriever asked.

"Something is wrong. But, I can't put my paw on it." the Husky replied.

A low groan was heard. "It's probably the Runners." the female canine warned.

The male canine sent an arrow, piecing the Runner's skull. The female canine was able to drive her knife deep into the other Runner's head. Killing it instantly.

"You're pretty good with that." the female canine spoke.

"Thanks. You're pretty good yourself with that knife." the Husky replied.

"Smith and Wesson. I know my knives." she smiled.

"Really now?" the canine inquired.

"My dad would take me out to fish. He showed me how to gut a fish properly. That's where I got my knowledge from."

"Where are your peeps?"

"I… I don't know. When I got home from school, I found a note on the kitchen table saying that they went to the mall to pick out Halloween decorations. Then… the world went to hell. And I never saw them again."

"Sucks right?"

"Really does. You lost your parents?"

"Ran away. Well, not really, I just never saw eye to eye with mine. After I graduated college, I left my home. I never new why, yet, it feels like I do. Do you know what I mean?" he asked.

"Kind of. When the military started rushing through my neighborhood, I was left behind. One group was just looking through my neighborhood, scavenging. That group was Raymond's. If it wasn't for them, I would be dead." she said. "We all kind of tie in with each other, don't we?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's fucking weird."

"What about you? How did you get out of Atlanta?"

"…We should get back. A horde must've heard the gunshots. We need to leave for the town. This place isn't safe anymore." the husky replied.

The girl was staring at him blankly. "What?" he asked.

"When are you taking a shower?" she asked.

"Never." he chuckled. "Let's go."

The female canine tried to give the Husky the knife she had. "Keep it." he replied. Finally they left. They waited a few minutes just to be sure.

"The town?" Charlie inquired.

"I think I know which one he's talking about. We should stay a little while longer, they might be on to something." Greg suggested.

* * *

><p>"Dean? You there?" Emmett called.<p>

"I'm here. Don't worry." Dean spoke.

"You being here makes me worry." Emmett sighed.

"We'll get out of this. I promise you." Dean comforted.

"Yeah right. This, Dean… this is different. This is the end of the line." Emmett wobbly said.

"Don't talk like that." Dean snapped. "Don't ever talk like that. You can't let fear get to you. That's when you lose. We can't give up." Dean said.

"Did you see what they're doing out there? These people are fucking insane!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Shut your fucking mouths back there!" a man yelled.

Dean waited a little bit before answering. "I did. They're having people fight with meat cleavers. It's like the Roman empire out there." Dean answered.

"Oh God… Did you see Warren?" Emmett inquired.

"I didn't. I don't know where he is." Dean replied. "I haven't heard of Dennis either. I hope they're alright." Emmett whimpered.

"They had a canine fight an owl when I saw them." Dean said.

"My dad?" a young voice spoke.

Dean turned towards the noise. "Your dad?" Dean inquired.

"Don't talk." a young girl whispered.

"Who was he? Was he the dog?" Dean inquired.

"Yes! Did you get to see him?" the boy inquired.

"What's his name?" Dean inquired.

"Marco." the boy answered.

"Well, I can confirm that your father is alive, the last time I saw him." Dean broke the news. He heard little weeps from the source from where the voices were coming from. The prairie dog scanned the area behind him. All he grabbed was dirt and grass. Then, he felt a familiar material. "Emmett." Dean called.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"We're back at the creek." Dean said.

Emmett's heart dropped. "Oh fuck…" he muttered to himself.

* * *

><p>The store was out of electricity, but that didn't matter. They didn't need artificial lighting, the sun's rays were peeking through the windows from the front of the building. That was enough to light at least seventy-five percent of the store.<p>

Tanya kept her assault-rifle close. She actually did pay attention to what Skipper said. "You still hanging on back there?" she called.

"Yep. Still here. Sadly." Raymond replied.

She smiled. "Good." she said to herself.

She glanced at the clothing rack in front of her. If she had a little bit more lighting, she might be able to see the vibrant colors these tops had to offer. A few did shine. A bright orange one did catch her eye. There was also a pink one she spotted, but lost interest quickly. She wasn't really happy about the pink. She liked the floral design though.

She ventured towards the front of the building where Raymond sat. She showed him the first shirt. "Does this look cute? I'm not going near any of the bright colors. Don't want blood to be as visible if it gets splattered on me again." she asked her boyfriend.

"Looks good." Raymond answered.

"You've been saying that for the past hour." Tanya sighed.

"I'm being serious. Anything'll look good on you, babe." the lemur replied.

"I don't know. I think the floral design might be a little too much. If I wear this out during the apocalypse, I'll look like I'm asking to get shot." Tanya said, tossing the t-shirt away. She was left with a red and blue plaid shirt and a dark green tank top. "I'll save you the torture, I'm going with these." Tanya said, throwing the shirts on her shoulder. "How about _you _look for something?"

"Me? I'm good." Raymond replied.

"Really now?"

"Positive."

"So you'd rather stay in those dirty clothes you have on?"

Raymond stood up. "Funny you say dirty.." he said before kissing his girlfriend.

* * *

><p>"Did you find what you were looking for?" Kelsi walked up to her boyfriend, carrying the dresses and tank tops she found at the boutique.<p>

"Even better. Follow me." Erik instructed, taking Kelsi's paw.

"I like where this is going." Kelsi smiled.

* * *

><p>Ryan paired off with Ray. They made their way to what seemed to be a small bar. It's iconic wooden exterior made it clear. "It's been a while since I've had the burning taste of whiskey. You've ever drink?" the canine asked the lemur beside him.<p>

"I'm about to now." Ray replied.

They entered the building. It was dim, but you could see what was in front of you. Sunlight was shining through the windows, making the place look like a scene from an old Western movie.

Negan and Christian had already beat them to the bar. "I'm afraid you're too late fellas. Already have the last bottle of whiskey." Negan announced. He stood behind the counter, Christian sat on a stool.

"The last bottle? Man, this place blows." Ryan sighed.

"We do have Moonlight and Blue Sky. Pick your poison, gentlemen." Negan turned, looking at the few bottles of alcohol left.

"Damn. What brand of whiskey is it?" Ryan asked.

"Cannonball." Negan answered.

"Eh, not really my type. I'm more of a Jeff Daniel's kind of person." Ryan said.

"Pussy. Afraid of a little kick?" Negan teased.

"Give me the damn bottle." Ray spoke.

* * *

><p>The inmates made their way back to the creek. Charlie still couldn't get that woman out of his head. What would happen if Ringo does find her? He does know. He'll… do things to her. He's done it before. He'll happily do it again.<p>

"What do you think they're planning?" Greg inquired.

"Well, I saw one of them carrying duffle bags of something inside a house. They must be checking their weapons. I think they know about the horde. Julien was taken inside. Skipper's inside the house with him. I think he's telling him about us." Charlie answered.

"They might be preparing for an ambush." Greg said.

"Maybe. Come on, we need to warn Ringo." Charlie said.

* * *

><p>"What do you think of this place?" Skipper asked his team. They sat at the steps of a church.<p>

"I'm feeling kind of mixed about this place. The hills make it easy for people to spy on us." Kowalski answered, scanning the area.

Skipper glanced at Marlene, giving her an 'I told you so' look. She just shrugged it off. "I think this place is perfect." Madison spoke.

"Really now?" Skipper inquired.

"Of course! It reminds me of home. Remember home, Andrea?" she turned to her sister.

"Everyday." Andrea sighed.

"Well, what else you like, little missy?" Skipper asked.

"I like the woods. They're very pretty. But, it just gets a little bit too much sometimes. Do you know what I mean?" she inquired.

"Boy, do I." Skipper replied.

"Why do you think this place is empty?" Madison inquired.

"Probably because of what's going on. They probably ran off towards Atlanta. Seeking shelter. What's happened here was deviating." Skipper answered.

Madison paused. "Do you think that things will ever get back to the way they used to be?" she asked. Andrea was surprised by this. Even Kowalski turned his head.

"I don't know. I hope so." Skipper sighed.

"Oh…" she lowered her head.

"Think of it like this: have you ever had a nightmare before?" Skipper inquired.

"I have." she answered.

"Well, nightmares end. Soon, this nightmare will end." Skipper tried to keep her hopes up.

"Yeah, but, it's still a nightmare. That means we have to go through all the horrible things before it's over." Madison whimpered.

That crushed him. "Well…" he started.

"That means that Skipper here will protect us until the nightmare. Isn't that right, Skipper?" Andrea started.

"Of course. And I will try my very best at doing so." Skipper stood proud.

"Will you protect me and my sister?" she asked.

"I will." Skipper answered.

"Cross your heart?" she asked.

"Cross my heart." Skipper said, crossing his chest with his flipper.

Madison ran up to the leader and gave him a warm embrace. Skipper looked down at the small canine. He looked up at his team, they were all smiling and snickering. "Thank you." Madison smiled at him.

He heard footsteps behind him. The rest of the group had arrived. They witnessed what Madison had done. "She's so cute." Tanya said, resting her head on Raymond's shoulder.

An idea popped inside Skipper's mind. "This is how it could be. It could always be like this." he smiled.

"It is now. That counts." Naomi said.

Madison walked back to her sister. "We found this place. There's many people out there that are wishing for this place like this. We can't take advantage of this." Skipper said. "Today we relax, we've been through hell lately. We could all use a break. For we all have a big day tomorrow." Skipper said.

* * *

><p>"What the hell took you guys so long?" Steele inquired.<p>

"We got caught up with a few of them. We were lucky not to get got." Greg answered.

"So, any news?" Steele asked.

"Yeah, we a have a few theories. They might be preparing for a siege. Where's Ringo?" Charlie inquired.

"Oh, he found a lady folk." Steele answered. Charlie's heart dropped. "Yeah he got really comfortable with her." he added.

"Where is he?" Charlie demanded.

"Charlie." Greg called.

"Where is he?!" Charlie screamed.

"NO!" a girl screamed.

Charlie whipped his head towards the noise. He spotted the coyote from a far, carrying a machete. Charlie grabbed his gun, and ran towards the lunatic. "Charlie!" Greg called.

On the ground, laid the female canine. She was finally awake. She had blood trickling down her forearms. Ringo stepped closer towards the girl, raising the machete.

Charlie stepped in between the two and pointed his gun at the coyote. Ringo sighed, "Move out of the way, Charlie." he ordered.

"What did you do to her, you sick fuck?" Charlie demanded.

Ringo lowered his machete. "What did I do to her? Oh, that my boy, you don't want to know. I did really fucked up things to her while you were gone." the vermin smiled.

Charlie's blood boiled. "I'll fucking kill you. I'LL KILL YOU!" he yelled.

Steele punched the back of the hedgehog's head, firing his gun from the sudden blow, missing the coyote. He landed hard on the ground, hitting his head on the dry soil, kicking up dirt that entered his lungs.

"No!" Magna cried.

Charlie struggled to breathe. He tried picking himself up, but he was met with the maniac. "No you won't. Steele, lay off." Ringo ordered.

Steele placed his knife back in his sheath. "You want the girl? Take her." Ringo smiled.

Charlie glanced at him. Was he serious? He picked himself up off the ground. He walked towards the canine, extending his arm for her. "It's alright. " he whispered to her.

She quickly took the hedgehog's paw. The hedgehog ran towards the black truck. Magna's eyes widened. How was the truck back here..? That could only mean one thing.

"Greg, come on, let's go!" Charlie called out for his partner.

The beaver turned towards Ringo who shined a crooked smiled at him. He dashed towards the truck, climbing inside. The hedgehog started the engine, and the trio drove off into the distance.

"What's the news?" Ringo asked Steele.

"They're preparing for a strike." the wolverine answered.

The coyote smiled. "Pack your things. We're taking off. Shit's about to hit the fan." Ringo smiled.

* * *

><p>Next Episode: <strong>Found<strong>

Update Date: March 15th


	44. Found: Part One

**Prologue**

The inmates were left speechless after witnessing the events unfold in front of their faces. Did Ringo really let Charlie and Greg escape with that woman? No. Not possible. But, it just happened. That was a slap to the face for most of them. Especially Steele.

"You're really going to let them off the hook like that?" the wolverine inquired.

"Yes. Just like that." Ringo answered, walking back to his tent.

"You've made a huge mistake doing that." Steele followed him.

"Steele, there's just a lot of things you just don't understand. Everything's set into motion. Everything's falling into place. The time will come soon enough." the coyote spoke.

"No, no, no, no, NO. I'm tired of all this bullshit. What's the fucking reason for all of this? Is this really fucking necessary?! You promised that secrets were over. You fucking promised. Don't you remember what happened last time?!" Steele exclaimed.

"There are no fucking secrets. Be patient." the maniac answered, irritated.

"You're keeping things from us. Not only does that mean that you fucking lied to all of us, it means that you don't trust us." Steele accused.

The coyote stopped in his tracks. Behind him was his right hand man accusing him of lying and betraying them. What a... "Steele…" he called, lowering his head.

"You're keeping things from people who can kill mercilessly. The people who if feel used, will gut you like a fish." Steele continued. A few heads turned against the coyote. Some were agreeing with whatever was escaping the wolverine's mouth. "You're the same as Alexander. " Steele added. Jaws dropped at the sound of their former inmate's name. The sound of his name sounded like clapping thunder.

Ringo's blood boiled. "You're playing with fire, Steele." Ringo gritted his teeth.

"Exactly like Alexander. I knew you would be nothing but a washed-up sack of shit." Steele threw his final blow.

The coyote turned and faced the wolverine. "Heh. You've got guts, Steele. I'll give you that." Ringo chuckled.

"I don't need guts to take you on." the wolverine said sternly, reaching for his handgun. "This group needs a real leader. Not fuck ups like you." his paw was on the the weapon.

Ringo chuckled. "See, you do have guts." he swung his machete, slashing the wolverine's abdomen. He ripped at the muscle, slicing through with ease. The blade exited, leaving a large opening in the man's abdomen. His intestines slid out of their place, falling on the dry soil. Blood splattered against the ground as his entrails spilled.

The wolverine toppled over and landed on his own pile of organs. His lifeless eyes met the coyote, giving the maniac some sort of closure. "See? You do have guts. You just couldn't see them because they were just inside you. I'm proud of you. Though, your name is pretty ironic, don't you think?" the coyote smiled as he stood above the wolverine's lifeless body. He lifted his machete and brought it down on the beast's neck. He lifted the blade, and stuck the neck again. The cracking sound of bone snapping was heard. Rings grabbed the top of Steele's head and pulled, tearing the last strands of flesh. In his bloody paw, he held the head of Steele. His lifeless eyes started off into the distance.

"Anyone else have guts they want me to see?" the lunatic inquired, looking around. Everyone stayed quiet and were shivering. "No one? Good. Now, if I see someone drive a knife into this fucker's head, you'll be meeting the end of this blade." Ringo instructed, aimlessly throwing the head towards the dense forest. "Let's get packing, we've got the lead on all of them." he added.

* * *

><p><strong>The Dead<strong>

**Season Two**

**Found**

About a mile away, a small group of Lurkers were slowly exiting the forest and were setting foot on the asphalt of the road. They all lifted their heads to the sound of a vehicle coming closer to them. The headlights shined on their melting faces. They extended their arms, reaching for the black truck.

They weren't successful at doing so. An arm was ripped off of one of them as it came into contact with the truck's front. They slowly followed the truck, which was now yards away.

Charlie looked back, making sure they if they were the undead. From a few yards away, they looked like a group of survivors. But when the light illuminated on their rotting corpses, he ruled against helping them. Though, he knew Greg wouldn't stop for them.

"You were right, they were Walkers." the hedgehog confirmed.

"Yeah, I saw. Since when did we start calling them Walkers?" Greg inquired.

"Recently. It's been about a week since this all started. Maybe even more. They are dead, so as time goes by, they're slowing down." Charlie answered.

"Makes me wonder why so many people are dying. I mean, they are walking. What's so hard about running from them?

"Maybe, but they don't tire. They might not seem so threatening with just a few of them. It's the hordes that get you. And there's a lot of them out there." Charlie said.

"I guess. How are you holding up back there?" Greg inquired.

The female canine didn't answer. She laid in the back seat alone. She was in a fetal position. A million thoughts were flowing through her head. Were her friends back there? How did they find them? Who were these people? Why did these two help her? Were they helping her?

"Leave her alone." Charlie ordered. "She's been through enough." he added, fixing his eyes on the road.

"Just trying to make conversation." the beaver sighed.

"But you do have me here. Wasn't that a conversation back there? Was that not good enough for you?" Charlie placed his arms on his hips, raising a brow.

"No, it's not that. It's just-" Greg started.

"Like what?" Charlie interrupted.

"Argh, never mind." Greg blurred out.

* * *

><p>The clouds hovered over the hazardous planet. The group were in some sort of a safe-zone. There wasn't a Lurker or Runner in sight. Kyle and Naomi just came back from perimeter check, reporting nothing.<p>

That's when Skipper declared the creek to be safe, but to keep their eyes peeled. It was just a few yards from here. Just because you can't see the enemy, it doesn't mean that they aren't there.

Marlene found herself wandering inside the store, looking for towels. The creek will make a great place for them to relax. Finally a place where they can stay low and not worry about the walking dead. Finally a place where they can actually bathe themselves and get new clothes, fresh. There weren't any houses around, so they would have to bathe themselves down the creek, not infecting the stream of fresh water.

She walked down the aisle, finding what she was looking for. She grabbed a few. For her and for her penguin friends. "I wonder if Charlotte likes pink?" she asked herself. She realized what she said. "Why am I talking to myself?" she inquired.

"Maybe because you're alone?" a little girl's voice came from behind her.

Marlene jumped. "Ah!" she yelled. "Charllotte... please... don't do that." she pleaded, placing a paw over her beating heart.

"Sorry about that. What are you doing here?" she inquired.

"I'm getting some stuff we could use to clean ourselves. Now that the 'all mighty' Skipper finally agreed the creek's safe, we could finally shower. Or bathe for that matter." Marlene answered, still shaking.

"About time. My skin's crawling with all this blood on my fur. Wow, I never thought I'd ever say that." Charlotte paused. "Can I help?"

"You can start by looking for some shampoo on the opposite side of the aisle. Can you do that?" the mammal inquired.

"Of course!" Charlotte smiled, running off.

* * *

><p>The town was small. It was basically a street town. The buildings ran along the long street. A boutique, a bar, a grocery store, a bank, a water tower, a diner, and a two story building, and the church. The store and the boutique stood next to each other on the right side of the street along with the two story building and the diner. The water tower, bar, bank, and small church, in that order, stood on the left side of the the end of the road, stood the town hall. This place probably had suburbs near by. They must have missed them when they arrived here. Those houses they stayed were probably part of an expansion for this place. The church wasn't the best of them all. It looked like a gust of wind could blow the whole thing down. Kowalski said that if the wind was strong enough, it could happen.<p>

Skipper entered the town's bank. It's glass doors opened smoothly and the blast of fresh, cooling air whipped at him. He sighed that the sensation only lasted for a few seconds. That was probably the closest he would come to as a fan or air conditioning. Boy, did he miss that.

He entered, gun in flipper. He was lucky to have his revolver armed again. He waddled towards the counter. The lobby looked artificial. It was like the most stereotypical space he's ever stepped foot in. It's white walls were blinding, it's chairs were all organized. Not a single one was misplaced.

The glass was still intact. Did anyone even cross paths with this place? The fact of the bank looking untouched made him paranoid. Was this place a trap? Make it look somewhat welcoming, only to trap its prey within its walls?

That canine wouldn't shut up about this place. But... is he secretly planning something? He only agreed to come to this place because of their current situation. Damn, if only he hadn't crossed paths with Ringo and his men. His team would be safe from all this. He wouldn't have all these people on his shoulders. All these people were a burden. Kowalski never did mention how he met Negan and Christian. How convenient to find two people help you fight a madman that included killing men. Killing undead beings.

He couldn't trust anyone. He was losing sight on Kowalski. They've been arguing for some time now. Marlene was getting into his head. That low level mammal shouldn't be. Was that considered specist?

He looked over the counter. The glass wall separating the employee and the potential robber wasn't helping. He caught a glimpse of a green sheet of paper. Could it be what he's been hoping for?

The leader turned, scanning the area for something to smash the glass. We're these things bulletproof? He can't shoot his revolver. He'd have to get a silenced weapon. Why was he carrying a weapon if he can't fire it?

"Skipper? You in here?" a voice called. It was Ray.

The leader fixed his eyes on the glass pane. "Yeah, what is it, Ray?" the leader inquired, still pondering about the glass.

"I need to tell you something." the sounds of his crutches alerted the leader. He almost forgot he was injured.

The leader turned, "It better be good. I'm busy." he said, placing his flippers on his hips.

"Yeah, cause staring blankly at glass is really going to help us here. See, Kowalski needs that file McMaster gave you back at Fort Benning." the lemur asked.

"Why?" Skipper inquired, raising a brow.

"We're going to be observing some of the Geek. The ones we put down earlier." Ray answered, his deep voice echoing through the bank.

"Sorry, I don't have it. Must have missed placed it." Skipper answered.

Ray lowered his head. "Our extinction event. You really believe that McMaster was right about that?" the lemur inquired.

"Ray, he was insane. The type of person who quits. I didn't believe anything he said. It's a shame he chose the other way out, but that's just what he believed." Skipper sighed.

"Well, I'm heading back. Are you sure you don't have the file?" Ray asked again.

"Does it look like I have the clothes to keep the damn thing?" Skipper asked sarcastically.

"No. You didn't have to be a dick about it either." Ray rolled his eyes as he left the building.

The leader turned his attention to the glass. He'll have to break in there some other time. It was weird thinking about this, given that he was a cop.

* * *

><p>The creek's fresh water was cool to the touch. It was about fifty yards wide. The perfect way to get your mind off of the blistering heat. Practically everyone was at the creek. Down stream, Marlene was helping Charlotte get the zombie blood off of her fur. It felt weird doing this.<p>

"Ow." Charlotte winced at the sudden tug of her fur.

"Sorry. It's just that your fur is matted. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted without taking a swim. It reminds me of my pool back at New York." Marlene sighed.

She had to face Charlotte towards land, on the other side of the creek, Negan was cleaning himself. Marlene would sometimes look up to see if he was watching them. He never did, so her level of trust slightly rose.

"Finally, I can breathe without gagging on the smell." Charlotte took a deep breath.

"Tell me about it. I can finally hug you without getting blood on me." Marlene smiled. She turned towards the young penguin who sat under the tree with Kowalski. They were talking about something. "What are you guys talking about?" Marlene inquired.

"Science stuff. K'walski's teaching me the Scientific Method." the young penguin answered.

"Is he really going to need that?" Marlene inquired.

"I've been teaching him since he was born. Just because it's the apocalypse, that doesn't mean that education has to stop. I'll die before I'll let that happen." Kowalski said sternly.

* * *

><p>Back at the bank, Skipper had a little help from Rico with the glass pane. Large shards of glass was scattered everywhere. A metal chair laid on the floor on the other side of the glass.<p>

Skipper glanced at the pane. "Well, I guess we can confirm that the glass isn't chair-proof." Skipper joked.

The weapons expert hopped over the counter, careful not to get glass shards embedded in his flesh. He reached for the green sheet of paper. He handed it to the leader. Skipper examined it. Just what he had hoped for.

"This, Rico is the key to our survival." Skipper helped his friend down the counter.

Rico handed the leader a gun. He had found it behind the counter. Skipper gave a puzzled look. It was a revolver, but a very cheap one. What would a banker keep this gun with them in case of an armed robbery? You have to cock the hammer in order for you to pull the trigger. Which is completely useless when it comes to combat.

Footsteps came rushing in. Skipper turned towards the noise. It was Erik. "Someone's here." the fruit bat informed. Skipper cocked the hammer on the revolver, and trotted out the bank along with Rico.


	45. Found: Part Two

Kyle laid on the floor, holding is bloody snout. Naomi was helping him up, shaking with fear. Ryan and Piper held their guns at the intruder. It was an Emperor Penguin.

The creature stared down Ryan who kept telling him to get on the ground. His intimidating stare was more intimidating than thunder clouds over the horizon. He had a toned build, for a penguin his age. He seemed to be around his thirties.

"Rid of your weapons and get on the ground now!" Ryan barked, aiming his Glock at the penguin's head.

"You're just going to have to kill a man who's empty handed." the penguin smirked.

Skipper waddled towards the tall penguin. He held the gun in front of the being's face. "We'll be welcoming you as we do so." Skipper said, glaring at the penguin.

"You okay?" Naomi asked the grey wolf.

"The son of a bitch dropped kicked me in the face!" the canine growled, blood flowing from his snout.

"That true?" Skipper inquired, raising a brow.

"You heard him, didn't you?" the penguin inquired.

"You come here, attack my people, and you stand here, with guns pointed at your face without even flinching? What is up with you, my feathery friend?" Skipper inquired.

"Us penguins are a stubborn type, aren't we?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Who are you and why are you here?" the leader interrogated.

The male penguin looked around. He checked the roof of the buildings. "You don't have anyone on watch. That's the first mistake. Second, you have half of your people out in the creek without anyone looking over them. I'm surprised you all made it this far." he informed, facing the leader again.

He glanced at Rico. The weapons expert gave him the same look. Skipper fixed his eyes on the penguin. "You said you don't have any weapons? Makes me wonder how you made it this far." the leader man smiled. "Yeah, I've been asking that question myself." he chuckled.

"So, how do you know about the rest of our people? Is there more of you?" Piper inquired.

"There's five of us. And no, they aren't here. I'm by myself." the man responded.

"You're their errand boy?" Skipper inquired.

"Yes. I usually come alone. I just didn't expect people to be here. That's why I've been observing you." the penguin answered.

"So you were spying on us?!" Piper yelled.

"It was for the safety of my group. I don't know what the hell you people are capable of. I just decided to come in here quietly. Sneak past all of you, which was rather easy, since you all don't have anyone watching over you. Sadly, my cover was blown by your canine friend over there." he said.

Kyle glared at him. Skipper lowered his gun. "Turn around and put your flippers behind your back." the leader ordered.

The penguin did as instructed. Skipper searched him. "I don't believe you. A man comes all the way over here, unarmed, and makes it back every time?" the leader questioned.

"That's what I've been telling you, wasn't I?" the Emperor Penguin asked.

Nothing. He had nothing. How? "Find what you were looking for?" the penguin inquired.

"How?" the leader inquired.

"Taekwondo. The kicks are very effective on the dead. You really have to aim high for their heads. Really obliterates their brains." the penguin answered.

Skipper turned the avian around, facing him. "Look, I don't know who you are, so 'm just going to tell you this: You try anything again. Anything. I don't care what bullshit story you tell, I will put you down. You understand me?" the leader inquired.

"Crystal." the penguin answered. Piper lowered her head at the word.

"Good. What's your name, anyways?" Skipper asked.

"Pierre Beaumont. But, you can call me Perri." Perri answered.

"So, you're French?" Ryan inquired, lowering his gun.

"And proud." he turned to face the leader. "Pierre translated to English is Peter. In case you didn't know." he informed.

"Good to know. That explains your accent." Skipper replied. "You're free to gather whatever you need. Just remember, you're being kept under surveillance." Skipper informed.

"Mmm. I do apologize for hitting you in the face." Perri informed the injured wolf.

"Oh, that. Well, at least I can cross that off of my bucket list." the wolf joked as Naomi helped him inside the church.

"This place you have. Do you have room for twenty-three?" Ryan inquired.

Skipper gave him a look. Perri faced the German Shepherd, "We're always excepting people. Our landlord is very welcoming. He's a religious one. We have a church as well. I've never really bothered to attend. I went to one when it was constructed, didn't really suit me." Perri sighed. He turned to the leader, "You can come with me, if you like." Perri offered.

"Maybe. I just need to know what you all are capable of. It's only for the safety of my team." Skipper answered.

The tall penguin smirked, waddling towards the small store. Skipper walked towards Piper. "Keep an eye on him?" he inquired.

"You got it." she answered, following the penguin.

He turned to the canine. "Take watch, I know. I've got it covered, Skipper." Ryan answered before Skipper opened his beak. Skipper nodded. Ryan picked the two story building. Taking a closer look, it was actually an office building. _Weird. Who'd work here? There's like no houses here. _The canine inquired.

He turned towards his feathered brother. "You trust this man?" Skipper asked.

Rico shook his head. "Yeah. We need to keep an eye on him. Maybe we can send a couple of us to check this place out. See if it's legit." Skipper informed. Rico nodded.

* * *

><p>The sun began shining down on the group of escaped convicts. They already know that Skipper's group had found their camp to be abandoned. Leaving their tents and those boxes full of useless crap have the impression of there being an attack or an ambush. That's what Ringo was aiming for. The factor of deception. Sort of.<p>

They made camp just about a mile away from their prey. Ring had sent three of his men after Charlie. Spy on them for a while. See if they were heading for the location Ringo wanted for them to go. If they steer off course, the inmates might send a few groups of the dead at them, forcing them to change course. Before deciding on making camp, they stumbled upon a small group of dead ones.

They used the tactic Skipper's group used. Except, they didn't need any blankets. They went all out on it. They gutted one of the fuckers and smeared it's blood their bodies. The three guys had already left, leaving the rest to plan their attack.

He had the plan ready, in his head._ Send two after those three, also covered in zombie guts, blend in with a horde, lure them into town along with Skipper's group. Dress the remaining men into the walking dead, up on the hills that look over the town. They can snipe a few of them, but no silencers. They want as many Geek to hear them. Once everyone's in town, they wait for the horde to arrive. That's when we go guns a blazing! Maybe finish them off with a few grenades. Yeah, that would be awesome._ He chucked at the images of Skipper's corpse burning slowly in the fire.

Ringo used his Bowie knife to slash through the abdomen of a reanimated corpse. It's dark blood was gelatinous at this point. Every time he lifted his paw from the creature's insides, the blood would fall off in chunks. It intrigued him.

Nick the ocelot approached the leader, covered head to toe in blood and guts. "Ready when you are, Ringo." Nick said.

Ringo stared at the blood that coated his fur. It was cold. The smell was gut-wrenching for most of them. You would sometimes hear someone gagging. But not for the coyote. Having the blood on him felt somewhat comforting. The lunatic stood off the blood ground. "We wait for those two to return when they have the three escapees in town. That's when we attack. If the horde beats them, well, we lost our chance on getting all of them." Ringo cocked his SKS, "Let's go kill us some penguins, shall we?" the coyote smiled.

* * *

><p>The blistering sun shined down upon the trio. The truck had run out of gas a few miles back. The small group had to travel on foot. The inmates knew that Skipper's group had already left for the town so going for the houses was an option. But, Ringo does know where it's located so hiding there wasn't technically an option anymore.<p>

The small group walked along the narrow streak of soil that separates the forest and the road. They avoiding the street in case of a potential threat comes walking or driving down the street. It gives them just enough time to hide behind the trees. Who the hell knows who's out there? There's definitely Ringo. And Skipper's group. Maybe they might take them in.

The small group stopped after hearing growling coming from their right. They were creeping from the forest. They couldn't see who or what it was because the damn trees were blocking their view. Walking along this dirt path does have its flaws. Greg halted the group and took out his gun. Charlie quickly stopped him. Gunshots will bring the dead, including Ringo.

The group of five reanimated corpses walked out into view. They noticed the non-zombified animals and jogged towards them. Greg used his knife to drive it deep into the Geek's head. Charlie helped with bringing a Geek down with a large branch he found. The branch bounced off of the Geek's head, knocking it down. Charlie used the end of the branch to bash its head in. Brain matter escaped the corpse's weak skull.

Magna tackled one to a tree and used her knife to stab it up through the neck, severing the spinal cord. Greg grabbed the other and snapped its neck, finally disabling the corpse from using its limbs to attack. The beaver threw its head to the group as it growled at him.

Magna threw her knife before the Geek was able to bite him. The blade sliced through its neck, knocking it back a bit. Charlie was able to act quickly and stab the creature in the head. Greg kept his arm in a blocking position, looking back at Charlie. He turned to the canine. "Thanks." the mammal gleefully said.

The female canine nodded, only to see the mammal's bandage on his eye begin to bleed. "Greg.." Charlie called. A sharp pain erupted from the left side of the braver's skull. "Ah! What the fuck?" the beaver's reflexes kicked in, his arm swung towards his face. He placed his paw on his throbbing eye socket. Charlie rushed to his side.

"Shit, did you get scratched?" the hedgehog inquired, placing his paw on the beaver's shoulder. Greg winced at the gesture. The hedgehog tried to take the beaver's paw off of his eye so that he can examine it. "Let me see." Charlie coaxed.

"I can't." Greg managed to say. It felt like someone was digging their finger into his eye socket and started to feel around inside his skull. It burned. As if someone lit their match and stuck it deep inside his socket.

"If you don't let me, I won't be able to stop the pain." Charlie informed the beaver.

Greg looked at him. "F-fine." the beaver finally replied. He slowly took his paw off of his bandage. Charlie tore off the piece of duct tape that held his bandage together. He carefully removed the ace bandage around his head and slowly removed the gauze ball that hid his injury. Behind the bloody gauze, laid his monstrosity of an injury. His plica skin flap connected to nothing but a bloody sclera. The hedgehog cringed at the messy sight.

"Horrifying, right?" Greg inquired.

The hedgehog noticed something in the back of the socket. "The vein's swollen. I knew we should have performed surgery." Charlie sighed.

"Because we didn't have any anesthetics and I would have died from the shock." Greg answered sarcastically.

"Here, let me just pull that pesky thing out of your skull?" the hedgehog.

"Go Sonyc fast, please." Greg smiled.

The hedgehog frowned. "Screw you." he spat.

Magna was resting on a tree at this point. She stared at the knife. It was tainted with Runner blood and Kat's. How she missed that young girl. Her pleads for opting out would be imprinted in her skull for the rest of her life. The act of killing a child haunted her. Calling it merciful won't do any good. A kill's a kill. No matter what. It just stays with you. Eats away at you. Consumes you.

"Magna?" Charlie called.

The canine snapped out of her trance, "Oh, what?" he inquired.

"Would you be kind enough to lend me a paw?" the hedgehog inquired. The canine nodded, picking herself up from the ground. She stopped. Her ears perked as the sound echoed inside her ears. Charlie turned around, seeing the canine standing, motionless.

"Magna?" Charlie called.

"Hush." she snapped. The trio quieted down, listening to the sounds of feet dragging along. Magna signaled Charlie to hurry up, knowing that that noises were incoming Geek. As if on cue, the heads of the dead began poking out into view between the crevasses of the dense forest. The lifeless eyes were still, looking off into the distance with no purpose.

Charlie grabbed the fresh gauze from the pocket of his jacket when Greg grabbed his arm. "We'll fix it later."

* * *

><p>The Emperor Penguin searched through the aisles. He longed for some antibiotics. He could feel the presence of a person wandering behind him. "What is it?" he inquired.<p>

"You know why." Piper answered.

"That I do. But I just want to know, why here? Why so armed?" the penguin faced Piper.

"That's none of your concern." Piper snapped.

"I'm just curious. I want to get to know the people I might be bringing in to my home. They might be carrying something nasty behind their back." Perri suspected.

"We don't have anything to hide." Piper kept her temper.

"That's what a group of survivors told a far community when asking for help when the Mongols attacked them. The community collapsed in under a week, unknowing that the survivors were carrying the Black Plague with them." Perri raised a brow.

"See, I never really was great at history, so that's completely irrelevant to me." Piper practically sang.

"I see. Well, I'm just going to continue with what I was doing." Perri smiled.

"And I'll continue with mine." Piper smiled back.

* * *

><p>Skipper laid out the map on the counter of the bank. Kowalski had cleared the area of glass. Raymond pointed to a remote location. "There's an apartment complex over by this area. If we follow the creek and take a sharp right, we'll be able to find it." the lemur informed.<p>

"That must be where these people are being held up. Should we check it out?" Ryan inquired.

"That's two miles of hostile territory. Two miles of possibly encountering Ringo and his men. We'll be risking a shit load if we follow him there." Negan spoke.

"This guy. He's something else. He travels two miles without any weapons just to get a blanket. I mean, why not just take everything?" Raymond questioned.

"It doesn't matter. We're brought an opportunity for sanctuary. A place where we can be safe. Are we willing to pass up an offer like that?" Tanya questioned.

"What do you think of it, Skipper?" Kowalski asked the leader.

"We send a few of our people to check the place out. But only a few. Five or six. He mentioned that there were five of them. We need to out number them if we're going. If anything happens, we meet back here." Skipper pointed to a location on the map.

"That a school. That's maybe... five to six miles from here." Raymond informed.

"If we don't make it back by nightfall, we'll go there. Maybe send a few people there to see if it's safe." Skipper planned.

"If all else fails, we could meet back at the neighborhood." Tanya suggested.

Skipper nodded. "Alright. Let's get geared up. We've got a long way to travel." the leader ordered."Are you really doing this?" Marlene spoke. She stood at the entrance of the building.

The group filed out, not wanting to be in the conversation. Skipper stepped forward. "I have to." the leader answered.

"No, you don't." Marlene testified.

"This is something that can help all of us. We already have a lunatic on us, we don't need another Ringo." Skipper said sternly.

"We can send someone else. We need a leader." Marlene insisted. "Are you even thinking this though?" she questioned.

"I am." Skipper snapped. "And I'll be damned to let anyone criticize my job as a leader. You don't know it, but there's a million things that can go wrong here." Skipper informed.

"What if you get captured? What if Ringo's waiting out there?" Marlene inquired.

"There's no doubt that he isn't. If I send someone else to do the job, this will all crumble. I'll be able to get them there, and bring them back. No one else could do that. No one I can trust, at least." Skipper lowered his head.

"You don't trust them?" the otter asked.

"I can't. If I let my guard down…" the leader trailed off.

* * *

><p>On top of the office building's roof, Ryan stood, looking over the area. The building across him, Mia too was looking over the town. The canine looked down, Private and Charlotte were playing tag with Madison. He smiled at the sight. That was when the sound of the ocean crashed.<p>

With his peripheral vision, he noticed Mia waving her arms frantically. He lifted his head, she was pointing towards the gates. He turned, seeing hundreds of reanimated corpses trotting through the gate, and onto the town.

* * *

><p>"Skipper?" Marlene reached for the leader.<p>

Private trotted across the street, he wanted to surprise Skipper. He hadn't seen him in a while. "Skippah!" the young penguin called.

Skipper turned his head, seeing the young penguin running towards the bank. He smiled.

* * *

><p>"Oh, shit!" he muttered, running towards the corner of the roof. He latched the weapon, making sure the cartage locked. He raised the weapon when he heard the sound of a gunshot. He flinched at the loud bang, ducking. When he opened his eyes, he witnessed Mia falling from the roof of the building. The bullet penetrated her skull.<p>

* * *

><p>A second gunshot was heard, this time, it went through Private's abdomen. Skipper witnessed the young boy collapse and his blood painting the asphalt. His eyes widened. "NO!" he cried, launching himself towards the wounded soldier.<p>

Up in the hills, Nick stood. He smiled at the shriek the leader made. "Today's a good day." he chuckled, firing the next round.


	46. Found: Part Three

The horde continued to flood into the town. They headed towards the panicking animals on the street who were firing at the horde. They started sprinting towards them, extending their arms, and let out their bloodcurdling screams.

"PRIVATE!" Kowalski shrieked.

"Runners!" Ryan announced, firing where the gunshots came from. He ducked at the sound of another round firing. This one grazed his arm. He yelped at the sensation of the speeding bullet tearing through his flesh.

Skipper ran towards Private, who was gurgling in his own blood. Kowalski ran by his side. "Help me lift him up!" Skipper barked. By this time, Mia hit the ground. Her body splattered against the sidewalk, sending blood flying everywhere and painting the brick wall.

"MIA!" Tanya shrieked.

Another gunshot was heard, barely missing Skipper's head. He turned his head, he grabbed his revolver and fired towards the gunshot's source. "Get inside, now!" he barked.

Tanya stood there, petrified at the pile of bloodied flesh that was once her best friend. Raymond grabbed her by the arm, "C'mon!" he yelled. Icy and Molly followed, ducked their heads, and aimed for the small boutique that was on their left flank. Kowalski and Rico helped their injured brother inside the bank.

Madison froze with pure fear as the swarm of zombies ran closer her. Her sister ran up behind her, firing her pistol. She grabbed Madison and headed towards the Town Hall. Both canines ran inside, shutting the doors behind them. Erik jumped up from behind a desk, his fur matted, "What happened?!"

"They... They're out there!" Madison cried.

"Shit... Alright, Kelsi, get the guns. We're taking off on the roof." he turned to the canines. "You two, head upstairs and lock yourselves in a room. Don't let anything hear you." he instructed the sisters, as he climbed the grand staircase that lead up to the other floors.

* * *

><p>Negan fired his weapon at the on coming swarm of the undead. He turned around, only to be met with another wave of the undead. This one was much faster. "Shit." he muttered.<p>

The bank's doors were already closed. And the undead were already piling on. He had no choice but to make it for the church which was about five yards away from him. Kyle and Naomi were inside.

The dead were gaining on him. A bullet just about missed his body. Good thing he was fast, he wasn't born a husky in Alaska for nothing. "Open the door!" he commanded.

* * *

><p>Naomi heard the canine's cries. She rushed towards the wooden doors of the church. She swung the doors open, both slammed against the wooden walls. "Get inside!" she yelled.<p>

The canine made it to the entrance, but one of the reanimated corpses grabbed a hold of his large tail, causing him to fall. The Runner locked it's jaws on the canine's tail as more hands grabbed his hind legs. Negan shrieked at the sharp teeth tearing into his tail. Naomi grabbed his arms, trying to pull him back inside the church. Kyle ran up and bright down the machete on the Runner that had a hold on the injured comrade. Naomi pulled him inside and Kyle shut the doors.

The Husky shrieked at the sharp, throbbing bursts of agony that shook his entire body. "We... We have to cut the rest of his tail." Kyle stammered.

Naomi looked at him. She grabbed the knife that was on her belt. "I'm sorry." she whispered and began sawing away at the rest of the tail.

* * *

><p>"Get inside!" Skipper wailed.<p>

His brethren followed as instructed. The leader saw the lemurs and a few others running in the opposite direction before he rushed inside the bank. He slammed the doors closed. Tears filled the leader's eyes as he saw his brothers carry the injured soldier. The banging on the entrance was heard. Its glass glass doors began to fracture. Their arms were poking out of the door frame and their bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the lobby. The entire street outside was filled with the dead.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Piper inquired, raising her weapon.<p>

Perri looked through the window. The head of a zombie came into view and the gunshots blasted. He rushed towards Piper, "Get down!" he sharply whispered. Piper followed the penguin, running towards the back of the building.

* * *

><p>Ray laid on the ground in the dim bar. His crutches were by his side. He was behind the counter while Christian was on the opposite side. He was looking over the doors, when he witnessed the dead running his way.<p>

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" the bird whispered to himself. He ran behind the counter, with Ray.

"What the hell is going on?!" Ray sharply whispered.

"There's a bunch of dead ones outside." Christian answered.

* * *

><p>Kowalski crawled through the glass pane, receiving cuts along his sides. He reached in to grab Private then Charlotte. Rico followed. Skipper helped Marlene through. The otter did the same. They laid Private on the ground. He was still breathing, but he had a faint heartbeat. The bullet penetrated his side.<p>

Kowalski panicked. "I don't know if it nicked his abdominal sac. If he injured that, he's not going to make it." the scientist stammered.

Skipper slapped him across the face. "HE'S NOT GOING TO DIE. DO YOU HEAR ME?!" the leader barked.

* * *

><p>"Ffffuck!" Negan let out. "Just... give me the gun, I'll do it myself." he forced.<p>

"No! I'm not going to let you turn into one of them. We've lost enough people already!" Naomi yelled, grabbing a bandage from the first aid kit she brought to aid Kyle. The doors began creaking. The dead were going to break through.

On the other side of the wooden walls, an inmate slathered in blood pulled out his assault rifle. He stood away from the large crowd of the undead tearing through the doors. He pulled the trigger and unleashed the bullets.

They infiltrated the wooden walls. One grazed Naomi's head. She let herself fall to the ground. Kyle leaped off of one of the pews, landing hard on the wooden ground. Negan ducked as well.

* * *

><p>Back on the roof of the office building, Ryan heard the gunshots coming from the road. He slowly looked over the slab of concrete that ran around the perimeter of the roof, and noticed one of the zombies shooting at the church. He fired at the 'zombie', successfully taking him down. His body was instantly torn to shreds. The Geek then turned their attention to Ryan's building.<p>

He heard the sound of pounding footsteps behind him. He turned and fired his weapon. The bullet grazed the animal's arm. The inmate yelled in pain. Ryan picked himself up and threw a left hook, but the animal countered it and jabbed his paw straight into Ryan's stomach. The inmate grabbed his gun from his holster. Ryan quickly grabbed it, trying to take it away. The inmate pulled the trigger.

A bullet pierced through Ryan's gut, piercing his large intestine. The excruciating burning sensation crept and the feeling of hot blood flowing from the wound followed. The air was knocked out of him. He collapsed. The ground felt frozen. He couldn't breathe. The inmate pointed the gun at Ryan's head. A bullet ripped through the inmate's neck, causing him to drop the gun and reach for his gaping throat. On the roof of the Town Hall, Erik and Kelsi stood with their sniper rifles. Smoke escaped Kelsi's weapon.

"THERE!" a voice echoed. The Town Hall was ambushed with bullets, forcing Erik and Kelsi back to the Roof Portal. Ryan lifted his head. He saw the bright flashes of light coming from the hills. He lifted his gun and fired.

The bullets took out one of the inmates that stood next to Nick. He flinched at the blood splattering. Lead penetrated his knee cap, causing his leg to bend the other way. He collapsed shrieking in agony.

The firing stopped. Ryan picked himself up. His muscles tensed. His entire body shrieked in agony. He grabbed the inmate that was choking on his own blood. A final surge of adrenaline rushed through Ryan's body. H dragged the inmate to the edge of the building and flung his body over the ledge. The inmate plunged towards the starving beings below. Ryan collapsed onto the concrete that ran around the roof. He watched as the man was torn apart. His insides were thrown in every direction. His lifeless eyes pierced into Ryan's. His abdomen grew in temperature. The sledgehammer kept slamming into his gut. He closed his eyes. It never felt so good to do so. He let his bloody arm dangle on the side of the building. "You... Don't... Get to win..." he let out.

* * *

><p>Icy laid in the back of the boutique, covering his eyes along with Molly and the other lemurs. They witnessed a zombie being taken down when it started shooting at the church. Raymond got the picture. "This is fucking Ringo." he shakily said.<p>

Tanya sat on the cold ground. Her arms were wrapped around her head, trying to block out the sounds of the slaughter. Mia just... Splattered on the pavement right in front of her. The images of her blood and insides staining the asphalt and the brick wall played over and over again. Her eyes were wide and she cradled back and forth. She was hyperventilating.

Raymond ran by her side. "Tanya? Tanya?! Can you hear me?!" Raymond called. The front door caved in.

"They're coming!" Icy yelled.

Raymond turned, seeing the flow of Lurkers entering the boutique. "Machete!" the lemur barked. Molly slid the blade along the ground. The lemur picked the weapon and swung at the zombie that was about a foot away from him. It's head flew up in the air and came back down, gargling in blood. He swung the blade again, slashing through the heads of others. Molly ran up to the female lemur and tried to get her away from danger.

When she pulled on Tanya's arm, she didn't move. "Tanya! Come on!" she tugged again. Tanya continued to be in her state. Molly stopped and slapped the woman across the face. "Snap out of it!" she cried, slapping her again.

* * *

><p>""I'm going for the church. Maybe I can find Icy and the medical kit." Kowalski said shakily.<p>

"NO! We can't go out there!" Skipper yelled.

"I have to! The church is right next door!" Kowalski yelled.

"There's nothing but the dead out there! You go out there, you'll be swarmed. I'm not losing you BOTH!" Skipper snapped.

"If I don't do anything, Private's going to bleed out!" the scientist yelled.

The glass door exploded, sending glass shards onto the lobby. Skipper turned to the scientist. If they take Private out there, they'll get swarmed. "You're not going out there, but you're not just sitting here either. Use you head. Find a way to the church that doesn't include you setting foot on the ground. GO!" Skipper barked.

Kowalski ran out the back. He swung open the only door that connected the storage part of the back to the lobby, and was met with a long hallway. The end of the corridor was an exit. Next to the exit was a staircase. The scientist ran for that. He climbed the steps, ignoring the door that lead to the second floor. He reached the top, and was met with a green door. He busted through the exit and was met with the melting sun. His eyes adjusted. The smell of rotten flesh smacked him across the face.

He ran to the edge. Below him, the dead. They all seemed to crowd the street. There weren't as many behind the buildings. He then ran towards the direction of the church. The Lurkers were wandering past the street and down the small alleyways. The tall penguin looked down below, meeting the reaching arms of rotting corpses.

He looked across him. There, one story below him, the church. His destination. The flimsy thing could break if he jumped down. He'll plummet through the roof, to the ground. He'll snap his neck if he does this. His mind flogged. He was filled itch adrenaline. He did the first thing that came into mind: jump.

The tall penguin took thirteen steps back, and jumped. His clouded mind didn't allow him to make the correct calculations, so his entire body impacted the wooden roof. His breath was knocked out of him. The wood splintered around him, making the one thing supporting him even weaker. The wooden beam that connected two walls at the corner snapped.

* * *

><p>"Should we take him out?" an inmate inquired.<p>

"Not yet. We wait." Ringo answered.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this was up so late. This was originally going to be around 5,000 words, but I decided to cut it in half. It was getting waaayy too long. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this. First take on a 'battle' thing. More shit will hit the fan next chapter.<strong>


	47. Author's Note: Updates

**(Final Update):**

Well, I've got my answer. Yes, the answer arrived the very day after I posted the update to the update, but never mind that.

I've decided that I will be sticking to this story all the way through. I've invested too much time on this to just give up for some young 'writers' with a computer and an IQ of a ham sandwich. Sorry, getting off track. I seriously wish I could tell them to go off and have a wank. Sorry. Oh God, _Bottom_ references no one here will get.

Well, that's it pretty much. Don't expect an update for a while. The hiatus has been put on hiatus. I don't know what that means, but it's correct. I'd expect an update probably during mid-August or early September. Then have season three premier in late October or early January. That season is going to have the craziest ten episodes ever. This current season is going to be incredibly slow, but that's just because I haven't really planned much for this season. It's only ten episodes and we're already half way through, so yay.

So, _The Dead_ returns in mid-August or early September, followed by season three in late October or mid-January.

I'm also working on a _Game of Thrones_ spinoff featuring **ALL** of the characters in the world of _Madagascar_. I don't know if I should have the story take place in the world of Westeros (GoT universe) or just have it like a satire/allegory kind of like how Animal Farm portrayed Russia's rise of communism.

So, that's coming next year probably. Still working on who's who. I might need some help on that. And, I might even agree to do a collaboration with another author on this project. But you have to have watched the series, I'm not explaining the entire fucking thing. Too much history. Too many characters. Too many tears shed. Or, hell I can explain it to you but be prepared to be beyond confused. So, if you're interested send me a PM.

I'm also working on _[Re]d [S]kye_ (I'm so aggravated that FanFiction wouldn't let me place those brackets in the title grr). That's coming up next year as well.

Also, coming in the next couple of months, more chapters for _Tungsten_ will follow. That's the one with the people in the hospital, yeah that one. Haven't read it? Haha, you're dead to me.

And finally, I'm working on _What Happened and What's Going On_, a story passed down to me by GearSolidSnake. That's going to take a lot of energy to live up to the same level of insanity and amazingness as his other stories. Go and read his work if you're a functioning human being with a sense of conjuring complete thoughts. Man, are they incredible.

So, in review, I'm sticking to this story because fuck all the rest. I'm lucky to have the close people who read this, and fuck all the rest. I'm working on a shit load of shit. I'm also working on synopses for each episode for _The Dead_. I've got quite a few, so if you want to read them and give me your predictions, send me a PM. Heh, SEND ME ALL YOUR MESSAGES. And that's about it. Thank you for this. I've somewhat got my motivation back.

I'll be taking this thing down when I actually update. And don't worry, that embarrassing story is coming. Oh fuckk.

* * *

><p><strong>(June 12th Update):<strong>

Well, the time has come. The PoM archive is officially dead. Yes, there are stories flowing, but I'm going to be brutally honest, they're shit.

I can't find a single (besides one or two) story that once had that captivating plot and was not smothered with bland OCs.

Did you catch that? Stories on here used to be worth reading. Now, it's just shitty humanized slash fics with OCs that are literally the physical representation of 'ambient'. But it's stories like these that make me worry for the future of this story.

Fans of this archive are so inclined to these bland, tasteless, gag-inducing, 'stories', that I'm beginning to think that the audience that had followed this story has vanished and were replaced with children writing erotic fics, thinking they're some kind of sex God.

Yes, this story has OCs. But they're necessary in this occasion. This is a **Bildungsroman. **That means that we'll be following a certain character develop his/her psychological and moral growth from a young age to adulthood. In that case, the character has to be a child, meaning, THIS WILL TAKE _YEARS_ TO WRITE. In case I haven't stressed this enough, this story is going to be fucking huge. I did the math and there's going to be about four hundred chapters, adding up to about a million words. A MILLION WORDS. Not that many books even reach this many words, let alone five hundred thousand words from what I've read.

With the sheer size of the future that's to come, I wonder if the audience will be there when the final line of dialogue is read, the final scene has ended, and the reader is left depressed over a fanfic. That is my goal. But in order to reach that goal, I need the audience. The audience is what truly shapes the story.

I want to know, are the readers still there? Will the readers be able to read through this epic? Will the readers be fucking mature and leave a helpful fucking review? I'm sorry, but the reviews on this fandom are absolutely atrocious. All that hard work only to receive a winky face.

In order to truly shape the story and make it better, I need the people's opinion on where to tie those loose ends. Steve (GearSolidSnake) has helped me greatly to help me shape my story. The current status of this story is god awful, which is why I'm looking over what I have written and completely re-writing it to fit my current form of writing. If it wasn't for him, this story would have continued to have been terrible and collapse in on itself. But one person can't help me. I can't be doing all this work only to have one person reading the outcome.

That is why I'm doing this. I'll ask again, I need to know if the audience is still willing to read this. Because what's the point of writing this if no one's going to be there?

I've see a story that has 'Madagascar' written incorrectly with sixty-three reviews. What the fuck, people? Have higher standards, because that story is fucking atrocious.

Please prove to me that this fandom isn't dead. Prove to me that you're not a six year old kid with a computer that just smashes his/her head on the keyboard and hits 'Publish', because with the current state of these stories and how they're written, it sure seems like it.

If yes, then I will reveal the most embarrassing story you will ever hear. I promise you, you will die from second hand embarrassment if you say you will stick around.

Jesus, what did I just do? Goodbye for now. The writing has been put to halt until I get an answer. You have five days, FanFiction. The mittens of disapproval are on.

* * *

><p><strong>(March Update):<strong> Well, I've hit a critical point in where I need to be careful. EXTREMELY careful. I need to take the time to reevaluate everything that I have. When I wrote the last chapter, I thought it was going to be great. But, when I read it again, it wasn't working for me anymore. That whole day, I was editing that chapter, switching things around until it got to over 5000 words. That was unexceptable. And to make matter worse, my computer just decided to kill itself, and I've been editing on my phone for the past few weeks. That's something I need to stop doing. I need a proper device. I _need _my computer.

So, I'll be taking a momentary hiatus. I'll be rewriting what I have and rewrite the past chapters, cause if you look at the first few chapters and the last few chapters, it's drastically different. It's incoherent.

I want this to be good. Hell, I'm not going to lie, I want this to be fucking fantastic! But, I just need time. Time is going to be the cause of my downfall. I need time. That's all I need (and a workin computer). This is not because I don't have any ideas on to where the story goes next, this is just me fixing them. I _need_ to fix this. Otherwise, the work looks sloppy and this whole this would be a complete and utter disappointment. Also, I will open to Beta Readers.

I deeply apologize for this sudden stop especially in a CRUCIAL moment in the story, I KNOW. I'd hate the author if he/she just stops so abruptly. But, don't worry. I'm not giving up on this. I'm just cleaning it. Making it better and more effective.

I know that the last chapter, it's not going to be the same. I want it to change. Not drastically, just easier to follow.

Until I think I have everything in check, I'll start posting. I don't know when, but I can tell you that I will complete this season before October (just in time for season three).


	48. The Dead: BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello, my fellow friends. As you can see by the description of this story, I have come to a conclusion to cancel this story. I will not continue to update this story.** BUT FEAR NOT**. I will not be giving up on this project(s). I will be writing more chapters, but I will not be posting them on this specific fanfic. I am going to re-tell the story of 'The Dead' in a different way. This thread has become a giant mess and it's killing me and my OCD. This is not how I wanted to organize my story.

So, I will be starting over. I'm going to retell the story in a different way that's more suiting to my current form of writing. After rewriting the first few chapters, I've learned that the story has changed A LOT. So, I'll be starting again with a clean slate.

You can un-follow, un-favorite this specific story. I will be keeping this specific fanfic up for reference or just for the nostalgia of almost two years of writing. I know that violates the FanFiction guidelines, but they can delete this story for all I care. I'll be starting all over again with a different title.

That brings me to my next topic: the title. The title of the 'remastered' version of '**The Dead**' will be: '**The Dead & Cobalt: Remastered**'. That means I will be writing another story. But I will be posting the chapters of the new story in '**The Dead & Cobalt: Remastered**' wow, drama. That particular story will be called: '**Cobalt'**. See? Two stories in one. Instead of saying '**The Dead & Cobalt: Remastered**', I'm just going to say: **TD&CR** or **TDCR**.

So, in **TDCR**, the story will be about '**The Dead**' which is the **main story**. '**Cobalt**' will be a prequel to The Dead meaning that whatever happens in '**Cobalt**', happened months before the very first chapter of '**The Dead**'. Both stories are linked together. '**Cobalt**' will follow the origins of the disease that causes the zombie apocalypse in '**The Dead**'. Still with me? Good.

So, I'm going to re-upload the first season of '**The Dead**' which are twenty-four re-written chapters. These chapters will be much more cleaner, detailed, and dense. The first four chapters will be some of the best chapters in the entire series, so get hyped for that. After the first twenty-four chapters of '**The Dead**' have been posted, I will start on the new series: '**Cobalt**' and post the first season of that story which are forty chapters of the new story. Together, this ENTIRE thing (**TDCR**) will be **560 chapters** and about **2,220,000 words**. Compared to the original story, which was about 680,000 words. Yes, MAJOR DIFFERENCE. gET hYPED.

Some of you are probably wondering when this all starts. I'm aiming for an October 31st release. '**Cobalt**' should be released in late November, early December, or even mid-January.

I want to thank everyone of you who's read this far. You are my favourite person in the world. Thank you for all the love and support. I'll see you in October. And yes, I actually mean I will see you in October. So, I say a goodbye to this particular fanfic. It was... quite a ride.

Goodbye '**The Dead**', hello, '**The Dead & Cobalt: Remastered**'. Yes, I know, that's quite a mouth full. That's what she said.

-890X001 *left arrow with number three emoji because FanFiction doesn't accept the left arrow key, fuck you FanFiction*

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><p>Final Story Stats:<p>

Views: 7,826

Words:122,453

Chapters: 48

Reviews: 117

Favourites: 15

Follows: 15


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